Lallation: when the baby's first sounds begin and why
A parent can't wait to hear his child say the first meaningful words, but before this milestone the child goes through a phase full of stammering, called lallation, of variable duration. This is a very important period of his development and as a mom there are things you can do to stimulate him. Watch in this video several ways to encourage his creativity and let him free to express himself.
Lallation: definition
The term lallation refers to a stage of linguistic development in the child, which usually occurs within the first year of life and whose purpose is language learning.
This activity is very important because it is a very first approach that the baby puts in place to communicate with the parents, even if obviously the sounds emitted have no meaning. However, it is precisely through them that the newborn learns to communicate his needs and his emotions: he is able to modulate the rhythm and tone of his voice to express anger, joy and play in a different way.
Lallare o babbling, means repeatedly pronouncing the first syllables, then emitting sounds with double vowels and consonants, as if it were a chant.
These verses are typical of those newborns who still cannot speak and who try to express themselves in their own way, to communicate with those around them.
Usually the first syllables expressed are da-da-da, ma-ma-ma, pa-pa-pa because they are easy consonants to pronounce using tongue and palate, in particular D.
If your child has started whining, it's a good sign: these gurglings are a sign that language and his cognitive functions are developing correctly. But when does this new phase of your life begin?
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How many months does it start
Each child has their own rhythms and learns to speak at their own pace, but there are common time windows during which many of the very young start to whine. Usually this period coincides with the completion of 4-5 months and 7 months, but it can slip by weeks without having to cause concern in the mother or father.
In general it can be said that a regular development of language sees the beginning of the lallation around the 6th month of life and by the completion of the first year of age. little one will get richer all the time and that's why the babbling phase lasts for several months.
For example, around 8 months he will be able to use double consonants, without fully understanding their meaning, like pap-pa, mam-ma; and after a short period of experimentation he will be able to express himself with double consonants in a more conscious way. Finally, when he's hungry, he might even be able to tell you daddy with a conscience!
Here is a brief summary of the different stages of the lallation:
- 4-6 months, the reduplicated lallation occurs, ie with a repeating syllable, for example “da-da-da”; this lallation also takes the name of rectory;
- 6-9 months the varied lallation appears, where different syllables composed of consonant and vowel alternate, for example “ti-da-di”;
- from 9 months onwards, there is the conversational lallation: the alternation of syllables is accompanied by intonations, pauses and turns. It is not uncommon for this period to overlap with the pronunciation of the first words.
Why lallare is important for a newborn
Basically because it is the phase that precedes the arrival of the first words and it is also important from a social, motor, emotional and cognitive point of view.
In the initial phase of the lallation, the canonical one, the child does not yet have a true communicative intent; for him it is more of a motor training that amuses him.He will soon realize that in order to make himself understood by others, he will have to exploit those funny noises that come out of his mouth, even if only to catch his mother's attention.
Keep in mind that all children in the world tend to cry in a similar way during the first months of life, and that only around the year and a half will they express themselves with the typical sounds of their mother tongue.
This shows us that the little ones are able to recognize sounds before being able to emit them but that the different combinations of vowels and consonants that determine a language are real training. Children need time to listen to each other and to understand how to move their tongue and lips well; around 12 months they will pronounce the first real words in the language of origin.
How do they learn to make these sounds? By imitation. Babies of 4-5 months are able to interact with adults, having fun provoking them, and thanks to the reaction of adults they begin to understand how communication works, perhaps accompanying the first lines with simple gestures.
In this delicate phase of lallation, the support that the parent will be able to give to their child will be fundamental; stimulating him is really important to make him calmly unlock those communication skills he is still unaware of: the more the babbling is rich in sounds, the better the little one will be able to pronounce the first words.
How to stimulate your child in babbling
The first thing to do is definitely talk to the child because it is through listening that the child will learn to recognize sounds and to catalog them. This attitude of comparison not only strengthens the receptive part of language, but also expressiveness.
Several studies have shown that children acquire communication skills more quickly if parents interact with their sounds; how can you then answer him in the best possible way? Here are some practical tips:
- from a very young age read him an illustrated book aloud, indicating during the reading every object on the page and saying its name;
- always describe what you are doing, in the kitchen, in the living room and even in the bathroom!
- when you are in a moment of play, take his toys and describe them; if, for example, he is in a phase where he is also unlocking the ability to gesticulate, it is likely that in conjunction with the lallation he indicates what he wants, in these cases tell him what the object concerned is called ("Ball? Do you want the ball?" );
- if your child tries to stammer, respond lovingly with short and simple sentences, looking him in the face;
- repeating and repeating the sounds he makes, to make him understand that he is on the right path and that he has all your attention;
- adopts different shades and tones to make him understand the different facets of the language.
Talking to your child a lot not only helps them linguistically and cognitively but also strengthens your special bond.
