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Every parent hopes that their child turns out the best that he can be. Who wouldn't, right? Some start when the baby is still in the womb by listening to classical music or reading to their belly. Which leads me to the question, when does a child begin to learn a language.

A child acquires a language from the day that he's born. Which means that parents have a big responsibility on influencing and laying the foundation for him to acquire good language skills. What should parents do?

1. Talk to your baby.
2. Repetition is the key. The more often your child hears you talking using the same words and phrases, the sooner he'll learn the language.

An important thing to note here is that by the time a baby is about nine months old he should be able to understand simple words and commands. He may perhaps also be able to say a few simple words already. Invariably, however, one finds that the baby understands much more than he is able to say. In fact, this remains so of any person throughout his life. One is always able to understand more of any language, even one's mother tongue, than one is able to use in active speech. This is even more so of any second or third languages that a person is able to speak.

Research shows that a child must hear a word atleast 500 times before it becomes a part of his vocabulary.

via Susan du Plessis and Parenting Ideas