Which stage of language development occurs when infants pay attention to speech, inflection, and rhythm before they begin to speak?

Which stage of language development occurs when infants pay attention to speech, inflection, and rhythm before they begin to speak?

• A. Pre-speech stage
• B. Babbling stage
• C. One-word stage
• D. Holophrastic stage

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that language development begins with listening and tuning in to speech before any words are spoken. In the pre-speech stage, infants pay close attention to how speech sounds—the intonation, rhythm, and stress patterns of language—and to who is speaking. They track voices, respond to turn-taking cues, and become sensitive to the sounds of their native language, laying the groundwork for later articulation. They aren’t producing meaningful words yet; they’re absorbing the sound patterns that will shape their future speech. This contrasts with later stages like babbling, when they start to produce sounds; the one-word stage, when they begin to say actual words; and holophrastic use, where a single word conveys a larger idea.

The main idea is that language development begins with listening and tuning in to speech before any words are spoken. In the pre-speech stage, infants pay close attention to how speech sounds—the intonation, rhythm, and stress patterns of language—and to who is speaking. They track voices, respond to turn-taking cues, and become sensitive to the sounds of their native language, laying the groundwork for later articulation. They aren’t producing meaningful words yet; they’re absorbing the sound patterns that will shape their future speech. This contrasts with later stages like babbling, when they start to produce sounds; the one-word stage, when they begin to say actual words; and holophrastic use, where a single word conveys a larger idea.