Repetition of speech is important for language acquisition, starting with babbling at 12 weeks and progressing to monologues at age two. Carl Wernicke claimed that speech repetition is necessary for learning language. The brain has two streams of cortical processing for language acquisition, with mirror neurons linking repetition and perception. Repetition also leads to regional dialects, foreign accents, and emotional expression.
When a human being repeats what another person has said, this is repetition of speech. While this may seem insignificant, repetition actually plays a vital role in young children’s language acquisition. Vocal imitation arises in the development of language before speech comprehension. Speech repetition begins as early as 12 weeks through what is commonly called babbling. At about the age of two, children create monologues in which they repeat and manipulate phrases and sentences they have overheard. They use this type of pun to move from repetition to understanding. The ability to use repetition is also important for older children and adults. Ongoing language development, such as learning new vocabulary or acquiring a second language, typically requires the ability to imitate others before language or word acquisition can occur.
In 1874, Carl Wernicke claimed that the ability to imitate speech played a vital role in language acquisition. He argued that speech repetition provides the basis for original and longer sentences, and that speech imitation leads children to analyze the linguistic rules, patterns of pronunciation, and conversational pragmatics of speech. When children have this linguistic foundation, they can begin to transition into language perception or meaning. Children are required to learn, at a very rapid pace, the pronunciation and use of thousands of words. If they can’t use speech repetition, according to Wernicke, they can’t learn the language.
There are two streams of cortical processing of the brain to create language acquisition. Speech repetition occurs in the dorsal speech processing stream. This is responsible for mapping sound onto motor representation, otherwise known as speaking. The second cortical process stream is the ventral speech processing stream. It is the ventral stream that is responsible for mapping sound into meaning. The dorsal vocal tract connects the areas of the brain where the dorsal and ventral streams are located. Mirror neurons are usually also introduced when it comes to speech repetition. These are neurons in the brain that fire when one animal acts and observes the same action in another. Thus, mirror neurons provide a link between repetition and perception of language.
The act of copying another’s speech not only provides humans with the beginning of language acquisition, but is also the basis for regional dialects, foreign accents, and intonation. Repetition of speech is responsible for pitch, timbre and emotion. It is through repetition that humans know how to express language in various forms, such as singing, shouting and whispering. Speech repetition often precedes the human ability to understand language and acquire the ability to communicate with others.
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