Final answer:
The 'vocabulary burst' in 18 to 24-month-olds is due to cognitive and neural development, enabling rapid language acquisition. Children at this stage can learn 10-20 new words per week, although this is not universal. Continuous exposure to language and cognitive milestones play vital roles in this accelerated learning phase.
Step-by-step explanation:
Between the ages of 18 to 24 months, children typically experience what is known as a vocabulary burst. This phenomenon is characterized by a significant acceleration in the rate at which children acquire new words, sometimes expanding their vocabulary at a rate of 10-20 new words per week.
This burst is attributed to cognitive and neural development that allows toddlers to rapidly assimilate and use language to communicate more effectively. Research by Ganger & Brent (2004) suggests that while some children exhibit these bursts, it isn't universal.
Babies are born with inherent cognitive abilities that predispose them to language acquisition. From birth, they can recognize their mother's voice and distinguish between languages.
As they grow, there are cognitive milestones they reach, many of which are important for language development. At around 12 months old, toddlers move from one-word utterances to eventually producing short phrases and sentences.
Interaction with caregivers and exposure to language play crucial roles. Babies and toddlers learn language from societal and family engagement, as well as from being exposed to the language being used in everyday contexts. With increasing age and continuous learning, toddlers expand their vocabulary significantly, often tripling their word count by the time they are 3 years old.