A child's first words are likely to be:

1. Social expressions such as "hi", "bye-bye", or "thanks"

2. Names for objects that are permanent, familiar, and usually movable such as "Dada" or "blanket"

3. Action words such as "punch" or "fall"

Since they often receive more adult attention, "only children" tend to develop language most quickly. Words representing sensations (such as cold) appear later in linguistic development.

Stages of Language Development:

1. Babbling (6-8 weeks) - babbles include sounds used in all languages.

2. Cooing (10-12 weeks)

3. Echolalia (9 months) - child forms quasi-sentences without real meaning.

4. Holophrastic speech (1-2 years) - single words are used to express whole sentences with the first words generally being nominals.

5. Telegraphic speech (18-24 months) - pre-sentences such as "me go" and "more juice" are formed, and vocabulary increases.

6. Grammatically correct sentences (2-5 years) - the youngster can understand the concept of a lie at age four.

7. Metalinguistic awareness (6-7 years) - language is viewed as a communication tool; the child views himself/or herself as a user of language. Although recent research indicates the age may be earlier, it has been believed that a child begins to voluntarily lie at age seven.