Languagelearningbeginswithlistening．Individualchildrenyawgreatlyintheamountoflisteningtheydobeforetheystartspeaking,andlatestartersareoRenlonglistenersMostchildrenwill“0bey”spokeninstructionssometimebeforetheycan
Languagelearningbeginswithlistening．Individualchildrenyawgreatlyintheamountof
listeningtheydobeforetheystartspeaking,andlatestartersareoRenlonglistenersMostchildren
will“0bey”spokeninstructionssometimebeforetheycanspeak,thoughtheword“obey”ishardly
accurateasadescriptionoftheeageranddelightedcooperationusuallyshownbythechildBefore
theycanspeak,manychildrenwillalsoaskquestionsbygesmresandbymakingquestioning
noises
Anyattempttotracethedevelopmentfromthenoisesbabiesmaketotheirfirstspokenwords
leadstoconsiderabledifficultiesItisagreedthattheyenjoymakingnoises,andthatduringthe
firstfewmonthsoneortwonoisessortthemselvesoutasparticularlyindicative(标本的)ofdelight．
distress,sociability,andSOon．Butsincethesecannotbesaidtoshowthebaby’Sintentionto
communicate,theycanhardlyberegardedasearlyformsoflanguage．Itisagreed,too,thatfrom
aboutthreemonthstheyplaywithsoundsforenjoyment,andthatbysixmonthstheyareableto
addnewsoundstotheirstoreThisself-imitation1eadsontodeliberateimitationofsoundsmadeor
wordsspokentothembyotherpeopleTheproblemthenarisesSOtothepointatwhichonecansay
thattheseimitationscanbeconsideredasspeech
ItisaproblemweneednotgetourteethintoThemeaningofaworddependsonwhata
particularpersonmeansbyitinaparticularsituation；anditisclearthatwhatachildmeansbya
wordwillchangeashegainsmoreexperienceoftheworld．Thustheuse,atsaysevenmonths,of
“mama’’asagreetingforhismothercarmotbedisrnissedasameaninglesssoundsimplybecause
healsousesitatothertimesforhisfather,hisdog,oranythingelsehelikes
Playful(顽皮的)andapparentlymeaninglessimitationofwhatotherpeoplesaycontinues
afterthechildhasbeguntospeakforhimsel~Idoubt,however,whetheranythingisgainedwhen
parentscashinonthisabilityinanattempttoteachnewsounds
1Accordingtothesecondparagraph,ababy’Sfirstnoisesareareflectionof（）
2Theproblemo