Research Article
The Journey of Language in Childhood
Danyal Alper*
Issue:
Volume 14, Issue 6, December 2025
Pages:
270-276
Received:
26 October 2025
Accepted:
6 November 2025
Published:
9 December 2025
DOI:
10.11648/j.edu.20251406.11
Downloads:
Views:
Abstract: This study aimed to review and synthesize the current understanding of children's language acquisition by examining the cumulative effects of biology, cognition, environment, and social interactions. It focuses on three major theories—behaviorism, nativism, and interactionism—and explains their core contributions to the understanding of language development. Within the nativist perspective, the critical period hypothesis suggests that language learning is most effective before puberty, when neural flexibility facilitates natural fluency and precise pronunciation. Beyond theoretical frameworks, environmental and social interactions significantly shape the development of language. For instance, children experiment with sounds, gestures, and words through play, storytelling, and imitation, which form the foundation of grammar and meaning. It is possible to learn multiple languages simultaneously, which can lead to opportunities for improvisation, understanding, and creative thinking in future communications. Studies in linguistics, psychology, and education have consistently found that children's language instruction is dynamically influenced by their innate abilities and environment. To achieve the highest level of performance in learning outcomes, children must interact with others, receive feedback, and engage in genuine conversations. Language skills are strengthened by these interactions, which also enhance cognitive and emotional functioning. Language acquisition occurs through experience in a diverse linguistic and cultural environment. Language acquisition is not merely an innate capacity or passively absorbed; rather, it actively develops through practice and immersion in diverse linguistic and cultural environments. Parents, educators, and policymakers must understand how children's language skills are acquired and improved, especially when it comes to their language skills. In order to ensure that children reach their full communication and cognitive potential, Communities can create spaces that encourage interaction, curiosity, and empathy to ensure that children's full communication and cognitive potential are reached. This means that language is not just a means of expression but also a foundation for learning, connections, and global comprehension.
Abstract: This study aimed to review and synthesize the current understanding of children's language acquisition by examining the cumulative effects of biology, cognition, environment, and social interactions. It focuses on three major theories—behaviorism, nativism, and interactionism—and explains their core contributions to the understanding of language de...
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