Language Development and Memory RecallAn infant's ability to develop speech depends on his or her ability to distinguish rhythms from sounds and tones. The child must break down speech phrases that at first seem like pieces of music with varying tones and cadences into separate words related to meaning. Infants begin to break down language before the age of one year (Swingley, 2000). The ability to distinguish different sounds from each other, identify the configuration of words, and recognize that some sounds are similar while other sounds are different is called phonological awareness. This awareness begins in early childhood and can be measured from the age of 2. The definition of phonological awareness is still under debate; different definitions include contrasting levels of abilities to distinguish different sounds, abilities to mix sounds, and to separate sounds into more basic subunits (Anthony & Francis, 2005). As the child learns to break down long streams of sounds and recognizes that groupings and individual words are present, the child will begin to reproduce the sounds. This action is described by Piaget as part of the preoperative phase; the infant's imitation of sounds goes beyond simple imitation and the child now attempts to influence his environment. By around 18 months of age, there is a dramatic increase in infants' use of language, and it is at this age that the child is most self-aware (Courage & Howe, 2002). Researchers are still trying to detect the connection between these actions. Understanding the biological reasons that drive language development and self-recognition will allow health professionals to better diagnose ...... middle of paper ...... working alone on a long-term mission. QuotedAnthony, J and Francis, D. (2005). Development of phonological awareness. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14(5), 255-258Courage, M and Howe, M. (2002). From infant to child: the dynamics of cognitive change during the second year of life. Psychological Bulletin, 128(2), 253-259. Kliegel, M and Mackinlay, R. (2008). Complex prospective memory: Lifespan development and the role of task interruption. Developmental Psychology, 44(2), 612-617. Leclerq, A and Majerus, S. (2010). Serial order short-term memory predicts vocabulary development: Evidence from a longitudinal study. Developmental Psychology, 46(2), 417-427. Swingley, D. (2008). The roots of early vocabulary in infants' learning form speech. Current directions in psychological science, 17(5), 308-311.