ABSTRACT
This chapter aims at providing theoretical and methodological background on language acquisition in order to set the context for the acquisition of pragmatic competencies in the next chapters. It presents an overview of the main milestones of language acquisition in the domains of phonology, syntax, and the lexicon. For all normally developing children, the acquisition of language follows a similar path during the first years of life. The semantics of children's first words is similar in all languages and most of them correspond to nouns for concrete objects as well as words serving socio-pragmatic functions. It demonstrates how children's growing ability to use social cues influences the way they acquire the meaning of words and then discuss the reciprocal influence of language for the development of some aspects of pragmatic competencies. The acquisition of theory of mind abilities, an essential cognitive faculty related to pragmatics, and of other aspects of the language faculty are in many ways interrelated.
