ABSTRACT

Children learn the language they hear – or see – around them. That much is indisputable; however, the relationship between a child's linguistic environment and the way the child acquires that language is far from obvious. The manner in which this is achieved is more complex than it first appears, and in spite of three decades of research, is still not well understood. However, a consensus on the general conditions relevant to the acquisition of a first language is less difficult to come by. First, from birth, babies are exposed to language which occurs in conversational settings and which is provided by those close to them: parents, other caregivers and various members of the family. Secondly, a first language is acquired by infants through communicative interaction with competent users of that language. Thirdly, the language addressed to the child displays some characteristics which make it especially helpful for the young language learner who is an immature conversational partner. These characteristics include not only the structural and semantic features of the language but particular communicative behaviours, such as the management of the child's attention by the adult who is trying to communicate with the child.