What is "phonological development"?

Phonological development refers specifically to the process through which children acquire the sounds of their language. This involves learning to recognize and produce the different phonemes, or units of sound, that make up words. It is an essential component of language acquisition, as a solid understanding of the phonetic structure of a language enables children to distinguish between words and eventually contribute to their reading and writing skills.

In the context of language development, this stage typically precedes other aspects such as vocabulary acquisition and syntactic development. Mastery of phonological awareness is critical because it underpins further language skills, including decoding words during reading and enhancing overall communication. This foundation in sounds is what allows children to engage in more complex language tasks as they grow, such as understanding word meanings and creating intricate sentences.