1. Prelinguistic stage: This stage begins at birth and involves the development of basic communication skills such as crying, cooing, and babbling.
2. Babbling stage: Around 6-8 months of age, infants begin to produce repetitive consonant-vowel combinations, known as babbling. This stage helps infants practice the sounds of their native language.
3. Holophrastic or one-word stage: Around 12-18 months of age, children begin to use single words to communicate their needs and wants.
4. Two-word stage: Around 18-24 months of age, children begin to combine two words to form simple phrases or sentences.
5. Telegraphic stage: Around 24-30 months of age, children begin to use short, simple sentences that contain only essential words, similar to telegrams.
6. Language explosion: Around 2-3 years of age, children experience a rapid increase in vocabulary and begin to use more complex sentence structures.
7. Mastery of basic grammar: Around 3-4 years of age, children begin to master the basic grammar rules of their native language, such as verb conjugation and sentence structure.
8. Advanced language skills: By age 5-6, children have developed more advanced language skills, including the ability to understand and produce complex sentences, use figurative language, and engage in conversations with others.