kindertaal

Kindertaal refers to the language that children acquire and use during early childhood. In linguistics, it covers first-language acquisition in typically developing children and the processes by which they learn phonology, vocabulary, grammar, and pragmatics. Key milestones include babbling in infancy (approximately 6–9 months), first words around 12 months, and two-word utterances by 18–24 months. By ages 3–4, children usually form more complex sentences and rapidly expand their vocabulary; literacy begins to influence language as schooling starts.

Children learn language through interaction and exposure to spoken language. The rate and trajectory of development depend on the amount and quality of linguistic input, caregiver responsiveness, and conversational opportunities. The field integrates theories from innate language accounts with usage-based and social-interactionist perspectives that emphasize statistical learning, pattern recognition, and social context.

Core domains include phonology, lexicon, grammar, and pragmatics. Phonology involves sound inventory and rules; the lexicon covers word meanings; grammar includes morphology and syntax; pragmatics concerns language use in social contexts. Bilingual and multilingual development is common and can influence timing and vocabulary distribution. Language disorders, such as specific language impairment, and atypical patterns in autism are also studied within kindertaal research.

Research in kindertaal uses longitudinal studies, naturalistic observation, experiments with infants and children, and corpus analyses. Findings inform education, early intervention, and speech-language pathology, helping educators and clinicians design language-rich environments and targeted therapies to support diverse developmental trajectories.