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If you think about it, you realize that this can't quite be true; it's more complicated. If acquiring a language were only 'imitating', then how would a child ever make the leap of saying something original, or using language to get a specific need met? Exactly what is being imitated? It appears that we are specifically wired to learn language, and we do it with amazing speed as youngsters. There have to be systems of some kind that are ready to grasp metaphor-- to associate a word with some other thing that we can know in the real world, and that we are capable of abstracting (even when very young) as a kind of symbol. Simple imitation would not bring us to that point.

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13y ago
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1w ago

No, children learn their first language through a combination of imitation, reinforcement, and active participation in language use. While imitation plays a role, children also actively experiment with language, make mistakes, and receive feedback that helps them develop language skills. Additionally, children's language acquisition is influenced by their cognitive development and exposure to language-rich environments.

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Q: Is it true that children acquire their first language by only imitating what their caretakers say?
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How child acquire his first language?

Children acquire their first language through exposure to language input from their caretakers and their environment. They start by listening to speech around them, mimicking sounds and eventually forming words and sentences. This process is natural and typically occurs during the critical period in early childhood.


How do children acquire their first language in such short time?

Children acquire their first language through exposure to language input from their caregivers and environment. They are born with an innate capacity for language acquisition, which enables them to recognize patterns, make connections, and mimic sounds and words they hear. Through regular interaction and practice, children gradually develop their linguistic abilities and proficiency in their native language.


How do human acquire language?

Humans acquire language through a combination of biological predispositions for language, exposure to speech and communication from their caregivers, and their own innate ability to learn and produce language. Through interaction and practice, children gradually develop their language skills and understanding of grammar, vocabulary, and communication rules.


What is the person who studies the development of language?

A person who studies the development of language is called a linguist or a developmental psychologist specializing in language acquisition. They may research how languages evolve, how children acquire language skills, and how communication systems develop across cultures.


How age effects on language learning of a child?

Younger children tend to learn language more easily and quickly than older children and adults. This is due to the brain's neuroplasticity and ability to easily acquire and process new information during the critical period for language development. After this critical period, language learning becomes more challenging and may require more effort.

Related questions

How child acquire his first language?

Children acquire their first language through exposure to language input from their caretakers and their environment. They start by listening to speech around them, mimicking sounds and eventually forming words and sentences. This process is natural and typically occurs during the critical period in early childhood.


How do children acquire their first language in such short time?

Children acquire their first language through exposure to language input from their caregivers and environment. They are born with an innate capacity for language acquisition, which enables them to recognize patterns, make connections, and mimic sounds and words they hear. Through regular interaction and practice, children gradually develop their linguistic abilities and proficiency in their native language.


How children learn a mother-tongue language as their first language?

Human beings are born with an innate ability to learn language; we are preprogrammed to acquire any language we are sufficiently exposed to before puberty. By listening and discerning meaning from context, children quickly pick up passive language skills by age 1, and from there acquire language at a break-neck pace so that by age 4 most children speak their native languages with full native fluency.


How does an infant's first language acquisition normally occur?

Infants acquire language through exposure to spoken language in their environment. They start by babbling and imitating sounds, eventually learning words and simple phrases through interaction with caregivers. This process is supported by a combination of biological factors and environmental influences.


How do human acquire language?

Humans acquire language through a combination of biological predispositions for language, exposure to speech and communication from their caregivers, and their own innate ability to learn and produce language. Through interaction and practice, children gradually develop their language skills and understanding of grammar, vocabulary, and communication rules.


Can you get a sentence for the word acquire?

Children go to school to acquire and education. People go to work to acquire a paycheck. (Acquire means 'to get'.)


What is the person who studies the development of language?

A person who studies the development of language is called a linguist or a developmental psychologist specializing in language acquisition. They may research how languages evolve, how children acquire language skills, and how communication systems develop across cultures.


What does the language acquisition device lad explain?

The Language Acquisition Device (LAD) is a theoretical concept introduced by Noam Chomsky to explain how children have an innate ability to acquire language. According to Chomsky, children are born with a cognitive mechanism that allows them to quickly and effortlessly learn the grammar and rules of any language they are exposed to during their critical period of language development.


How age effects on language learning of a child?

Younger children tend to learn language more easily and quickly than older children and adults. This is due to the brain's neuroplasticity and ability to easily acquire and process new information during the critical period for language development. After this critical period, language learning becomes more challenging and may require more effort.


According to Chomsky's theory of language acquisition is?

Chomsky's theory of language acquisition, known as Universal Grammar, suggests that humans are born with an innate ability to understand and produce language. He proposed that children are genetically predisposed to acquire language and that this ability is triggered by exposure to language in their environment. Chomsky believed that there are universal rules and structures that underlie all languages, which children intuitively grasp as they learn to speak.


How children acquire their mother ttongue?

Children acquire their mother tongue through exposure to it from birth, interacting with caregivers and other speakers, and practicing communication skills. Infants are biologically predisposed to learn language, and the environment plays a crucial role in shaping their linguistic development. Over time, through observation, imitation, and experimentation, children gradually develop grammar and vocabulary in their mother tongue.


What are the responsibilities that children have to have?

Responsibility is an adult trait. Children acquire them in stages as they mature.