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Your child will be working on and mastering the pronunciation of different sounds and sound combinations until 8 years of age. Beginning with the vowel sounds and the easy consonants - b,d t,m - in her first year (it's no coincidence that 'mamma' and 'dadda' are often the first words you'll hear!) over the following years, s/he'll slowly acquire all the sounds s/he needs to make herself understood. S/he'll be at school before s/he masters some of the most difficult sound combinations - sh, th, y (as in yellow), soft g (as in George).
Learning new words
Your child's acquisition of new words will far outstrip the ability to pronounce them correctly and so, in the early days, you'll constantly be required to 'translate' when s/he speaks to those unaccustomed to talking with your child - and help with the difficulty in making themself understood, as it can be a source of great frustration.
By modelling correct patterns of speech - using verbs, tenses and pronouns correctly - you will teach him or her, seemingly overnight, how to construct grammatically correct sentences. Your toddler will constantly amaze you with the ability to permanently self-correct an error of speech and after the age of 18 months, s/he will begin to experiment with phrases and sentences although most will be missing the linking words.
Last revised: Wednesday, 18 June 2008
This article contains general information only and is not intended to replace advice from a qualified health professional.