What is the Normal Age for a Newborn to Start Speaking?

Between 6 months and 1 year old, newborns will begin to pronounce sounds, and it is normal for them to start saying single words between 1 year and 18 months old. If imitating others' pronunciations is considered as speaking, then babies can usually start to make sounds between 6 months and 1 year old. The time before this is a listening period, and it is important to talk to your baby during this time as they will lose the opportunity to imitate if they do not have a linguistic environment. Typically, between 1 year and 18 months old, babies will start to say single words and express their needs through gestures, facial expressions, and other bodily languages. At this stage, their cognitive ability of language also improves, and the sounds they make can carry meaningful information. However, most of it is still imitation, which is crucial for the continuous improvement of their pronunciation organs and the foundation for accurate pronunciation.

After 18 months old, until 2 years old, babies start to understand that every object has a name, and they like to ask about the names of objects. They will also learn many more words and their pronunciation accuracy will improve significantly during this time. After 2 years old, until 2 and a half years old, babies can usually speak short sentences and have a basic understanding of grammar. They will use pronouns and sentence structures to express tone and emotion. They continue to improve in pronunciation and their vocabulary becomes richer. Between 2 and a half years old and 3 years old, babies can generally use more complex sentences, and they particularly enjoy asking questions. Many children at this stage treat language like a new and beloved toy, unable to stop playing with it. This is also a sign of brain development, as constantly asking questions indicates an increase in cognitive ability and desire for knowledge.

After 3 years old, babies' pronunciation is generally accurate, and their expressive ability and vocabulary continue to improve. Along with the development of their brains, they enter a peak period of language development, where they can use various parts of speech, self-correct grammatical errors, and communicate without major obstacles.