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Vocabulary development and late talkers
First words appear around age one, comprehension always runs ahead of production, and after about 50 words, around 18 months, comes a vocabulary spurt and two-word combinations; a child who is late to talk is judged mainly by comprehension, gestures and risk factors.
Why it matters in the exam
Exam questions define phenomena: overextension ("ball" for the moon too), fast mapping (an initial link for a new word after one exposure), mutual exclusivity (a new name goes with an object that has no name yet — a principle of lexical semantics), and the vocabulary spurt. First words are asked about too: one or two syllables, with a stop consonant at the start (lexical selection by the sounds the child can produce), and concrete rather than abstract.
An important part concerns late talkers: when to treat at once and when follow-up is enough. Delayed comprehension, few gestures, a family history and a small consonant inventory raise the risk, and when comprehension is delayed you do not wait. A 13-month-old who understands about 50 words and says 3 shows an expected pattern. Parent questionnaires are an indirect tool that show vocabulary size, and the link between a word and its referent is arbitrary.
Key points
- Comprehension runs ahead of production.
- First words: short, with a stop consonant, concrete.
- Overextension, fast mapping, mutual exclusivity.
- Spurt around 18 months after about 50 words.
- A late talker with delayed comprehension — treat now.
Summary table
| Phenomenon | What it is | Age or example |
|---|---|---|
| Comprehension before production | The child understands much more than he says | At 13 months: understands about 50 words, says few |
| First words | One or two syllables, a stop consonant at the start, concrete | Around age one |
| Overextension | Using a word for too broad a category | "Ball" for the moon too, at one and a half |
| Fast mapping | An initial link for a new word after one exposure | "Daksa" heard once and picked correctly |
| Mutual exclusivity | Assuming a new word refers to an object with no name | A principle of lexical semantics |
| Vocabulary spurt | A rapid rise in the number of words | Around 18 months, after about 50 words |
| Late talker | Few words or no combinations at two | High risk: delayed comprehension, few gestures, family history |
A free exam question
What would not be a difficulty for language acquisition at age two?
- A. Bilingualism
- B. Little exposure to language
- C. A fluctuating conductive hearing loss
- D. Visual impairment
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Sources
- Owens, Language Development: An Introduction, 10th edition (2020) — First words and early vocabulary
- Rescorla, Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 2011 — Late talkers: do good predictors of outcome exist?
- Fenson et al., MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories, 2nd edition (2007) — Parent report of early vocabulary
Sources are given for further reading; the text is written afresh and not copied from them.
Reviewed by the Examqo AI Professor · 2026-11-02. The text may contain errors; when in doubt, check the source.