At around 12 months, the melodic babble that has dribbled from your little one’s lips will finally begin to take on familiar meaning. This marks the beginning of language acquisition, one of the most exciting and memorable journeys you and your child will embark on together. As with all developmental milestones, you will encounter inevitable obstacles. Fortunately, overcoming these stumbling blocks together is a completely normal part of building a healthy, lasting foundation for communication. So don’t be concerned! Just do your best to prepare and support your child through each dynamic stage of language learning.
Between 18 months and five years of age, a vocabulary explosion will occur quickly and exponentially. Overextension and Underextension are two common technical errors your child will certainly make as language learning picks up momentum. As vocabulary retention increases, these endearing verbal goofs will occur with less frequency. But what exactly are these two behaviors, and what do they sound like?
Overextension happens when a child uses a more specific word in place of a word with a less specific meaning. While on a walk together, your little one may point out each “bird” with confident enthusiasm, every time a butterfly, bird, or other airborne anomaly catches his eye. Perhaps at dinnertime, you’ll find yourself reinforcing that not every utensil is a “spoon.” The reason for this behavior is quite straightforward; your child is demonstrating that he recognizes similar features in the objects around him.
Underextension is a similar verbal stumble, though not as common an occurrence. In this case, your child uses a more general word to refer to something more specific. For instance, he may ask for “juice” when he wants his personal cup, but won’t yet apply the same terminology to juice in any other cup. Or he might only call the family dog “doggie,” refusing to use the same word to reference other dogs outside your home. Keep in mind that variations of overextension and underextension depend on your child’s environment, so no two children will exhibit them in the exact same way.
Your child is eager to relate to both you and the world around him, and will regularly over and under estimate word meanings as he attempts to express thoughts and ideas. He is simply using the terms from his existing vocabulary bank that most closely resemble what he is trying to talk about. This clumsy yet charming word fumble doesn’t last forever, and will gradually be outgrown as vocabulary and grammar continue to develop. You can ensure that your little one is meeting vital developmental milestones by following our guided activities, designed to promote bonding through learning. Make sure that you play an active role in each stage of language acquisition. Loving learning is lasting learning!
Sources
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-fmcc-childhood-psychology/chapter/language-development/
http://www.pearsoned.co.uk/bookshop/minds/rexpress/questions/english/11-language-answers.pdf
https://littlebirdiebooks.com.au/2018/06/21/when-do-kids-grow-out-of-fishes-and-me-do-it/
https://littlebirdiebooks.com.au/2017/11/08/my-daughter-thinks-the-moon-is-a-ball/
