There is a clear difference between language and vocabulary development. Children often use words that they do not understand, but choose to use these words as if there is a prior knowledge base. This is the beginning of understanding the use of vocabulary. The use of language is the knowledge of how to use the spoken word. When a child begins to speak, she often uses trusted or familiar words that she has heard in the past. For example, some of the first expressions are usually hello, bye, mom and dad. There are words that are very familiar to the child and that have been reinforced through their interaction with adults. This is the beginning of a child’s awareness of speech. Children build on words spoken in the home environment and repeat what they hear. Have you ever been embarrassed by the statements of a “little one” who repeated an evaluation of Aunt Nellie that almost made you want to slither under the rug? What they are doing is testing the language. Children not only listen, but observe the reactions of adults to their words. Many believe that children are ready for this recognition, but this is not true. They are simply building their world through the world that has been presented to them through speech.

Positive interaction with beginning or emerging readers is extremely important as children begin to build their spoken world. Talking to a baby from the beginning of birth is extremely important. Research indicates that children in the womb also benefit from being talked to. In the second trimester, the fetus has the ability to understand sounds. From the age of four months, their minds begin to develop neural pathways for communication. Women have often reported that the fetus inside them jumped out when exposed to a sudden loud noise. This is the beginning of language acquisition. Listen and internalize the sounds heard.

As a child develops, he relies heavily on what he has seen and heard, and often links the two. Children who have not had exposure to an enriched environment filled with positive images and positive words are the same children who display reading difficulties in school. These are the children who grow up frustrated and unable to get a job that supports them and their family due to their inability to speak properly and read at a level sufficient to understand.

Vocabulary is learned from the child’s language development. Through this language development, children learn letters and sounds. The only way that children can develop strong vocabulary skills is through their interaction with the adult world that surrounds each child. Both infants and very young children constantly internalize what they see, hear, observe, and feel. Without this exposure, the child’s language development is stunted and the child’s vocabulary suffers. Both are equally important.