I just spent the weekend with my nieces and nephews, aged 2-6, who I’ve spent a lot of time with since they were each born. How do their brains acquire language? They use definite articles, punctuation, timing, and seem to comprehend some of the exceptions / contradictions in the English language. Scientifically / neurologically, what is going on here?
In: Biology
Human brains have evolved to learn language. The frontal lobe of the brain in humans is large and that’s one of its functions. It’s why people with brain injuries to the frontal lobe often lose the ability to speak or understand language.
Humans are also social animals. Young children are programmed to copy the behaviors of those around them. This includes speech.
Humans also are really good at noticing patterns. All languages are just patterns. Our brains like patterns and notice them in speech and try to copy them. It’s why many young children make predictable speech errors as they are learning to speak. For example, their brains notice that most past tense English verbs end in -ed and they will add it even to irregular verbs (I.e. they say forgotted instead of forgot) .
Kids are like little language sponges, soaking up everything they hear around them. Their brains are super adaptable and ready to learn. From the moment they’re born, babies start picking up on the sounds and patterns of language. They’re not just listening to words, but also to the rhythm and intonation of speech. It’s like they’re hearing a kind of music, and their brains are wired to tune into this linguistic melody.
As they grow, kids start to connect sounds with meanings. They learn that certain sounds (words) represent specific things or actions. It’s a bit like piecing together a puzzle. They start with simple words and gradually build up to more complex structures. The really cool part is that most kids don’t just memorize phrases they hear. Their brains actually figure out the rules of language on their own. It’s like they have a little grammar computer in their heads that’s constantly analyzing the language they hear and finding patterns. For typical language learners without delay or disorders, this process happens naturally through exposure and interaction. Every conversation, every book read to them, every song they hear contributes to this learning. Their brains are constantly making connections and refining their understanding. This ability to acquire language so effortlessly is strongest in early childhood which is why kids can often pick up multiple languages with ease if they’re exposed to them early on.
From a neurological standpoint, there are specific areas of the brain involved in language processing, like Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area. These regions develop and strengthen as children acquire language. But really, language learning involves complex networks throughout the brain. It’s a fascinating process that scientists are still working to fully understand.
So Chomsky did some groundbreaking work on this. Apparently language grows in the brain. He compared it to any other muscle growing. Good development comes with exercise. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3U6MsdBalg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3U6MsdBalg)
The human brain is genetically programmed to acquire language during the critical development period (from birth up until roughly the age of 5). During this period, the child acquires language by observing other humans, mimicking them and being reinforced by positive feedback. A child that is deprived of human interaction will grow up to be “feral”. After the critical development period, they will generally lack the ability to acquire language.
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