Language techniques develop in the brain because of the changes that occur in a lifetime from the interactions of the environment and heredity. Most of this happens at a very young age, although children can vary quite a bit in the ways and rates that they develop. The field of cognitive development is still burgeoning, as researchers attempt to forge links between descriptions of how the brain physically grows and the development of cognition.
Anatomy
Language and cognition skills are possible because of specialized nerve cells known as neurons. At birth, nearly all of the neurons that the brain needs are present. From this point, however, the brain begins to develop rapidly. Glial cells, which help insulate nerve cells in the brain, divide and multiply, and the actual neurons make new connections that guide the development of the brain. By the time a child is 2 years old, the brain is about 80 percent of its adult size.
Language Development
At the age of 3, a child's spoken vocabulary consists of about 900 words, but by the age of 6, it expands to between 8,000 and 14,000 words. During this time, a child's ability to speak begins to catch up with the ability to comprehend language. According to Angela Oswalt, MSW, on the MentalHelp.net site, this starts with simple formulations such as plural and possessive nouns. Gradually, children put appropriate endings on verbs and use prepositions, articles, various forms of the verb "to be," etc. Eventually, children begin to use metaphors and can understand words by being told a definition.
Environmental Responses
Many of the gains in language occur because of the expansion of attention and memory. Children become progressively skilled at memorizing and practicing the language modeled around them and modifying words based on the reaction of other people. The result is that children often repeat what they have heard before fully grasping the full implications of their words.
Skills
The ability to comprehend complex and unsaid meaning, as opposed to what is literally said, is one of the most important parts of development. This is known as illocutionary intent. As children begin to grow into their schooling years, they develop skills to manage complex conversations. A process known as shading is the act by which the conversation is turned gradually, which helps with the continuity of a conversation.
Theories
One of the main theories of cognitive development derives from Jean Piaget, Swiss developmental psychologist. He postulated that development occurs in stages. It begins with eye-hand coordination and object permanence, proceeds to the growth of symbolic thought and the use of language, continues with the classification of concrete objects and finally ends at abstract reasoning. Developing children organize experiences into schemes to help them understand the world. Lev Vygotsky, Soviet psychologist, however, had a different view. He focused on the use of language as a tool for cultural transmission, communication and reflection of thinking.
