What event marked a significant moment in Genie's story regarding her early language development?

The event that marked a significant moment in Genie's story regarding her early language development was her being locked away in isolation. This crucial event had profound implications for her language acquisition. Genie, born in 1957, faced extreme neglect and isolation by her father, who believed she would be mentally disabled. From the age of about 20 months until her rescue at 13 years old, she was subjected to a silent environment, deprived of normal interactions with caregivers, which are essential for language development.

During the critical periods of her early life, she experienced minimal verbal communication, which significantly hindered her ability to learn language naturally. Linguists and psychologists were particularly interested in her case as it highlighted the effects of extreme isolation on language acquisition and cognitive development. Once she was rescued and began to receive intervention, her progress in learning language became a focal point of study, demonstrating both the potential for language development in later years and the challenges posed by her early deprivation.