Language Acquisition: The Basics is an accessible introduction to the must-know issues in child language development. Covering key topics drawn from contemporary psychology, linguistics and neuroscience, readers are introduced to fundamental concepts, methods, controversies, and discoveries.

It follows the remarkable journey children take; from becoming sensitive to language before birth, to the time they string their first words together; from when they use language playfully, to when they tell stories, hold conversations, and share complex ideas. Using examples from 73 different languages, Ibbotson sets this development in a diverse cross-cultural context, as well as describing the universal psychological foundations that allow language to happen.

This book, which includes further reading suggestions in each chapter and a glossary of key terms, is the perfect easy-to-understand introductory text for students, teachers, clinicians or anyone with an interest in language development. Drawing together the latest research on typical, atypical and multilingual development, it is the concise beginner's guide to the field.

"Language Acquisition: The Basics is very balanced and well-written, the structure is clear and user-friendly, and I like the inclusion of different sign languages - an excellent book."

Cholë Marshall, Professor of Psychology, Language and Education at University College London, Editor-in-Chief of the journal First Language

"Language Acquisition: The Basics is very balanced and well-written, the structure is clear and user-friendly, and I like the inclusion of different sign languages - an excellent book."

-Cholë Marshall, Professor of Psychology, Language and Education at University College London, Editor-in-Chief of the journal First Language

“The book gives plenty of good examples from child language, not just from English. But most importantly, it explains the many different experimental methods used in acquisition research, as well as the cognitive, data-driven learning mechanisms at stake.”

-Heike Behrens Professor of Cognitive Linguistics and Language Acquisition Research, University of Basel and Editorial Board of The Journal of Child Language.

"I enjoyed reading it, a cool format!"

-Patricia Brooks, Professor of Psychology at the College of Staten Island, City University of New York, director of the Language Learning Laboratory

Dr. Paul Ibbotson is senior lecturer in developmental psychology at The Open University, England. He is interested in the relationship between language, cognition and cooperation; how these develop over the course of an individual’s lifetime and how they have evolved in our species. He is author of numerous scientific publications, popular articles in The Conversation, The Guardian and Scientific American, his previous book What It Takes To Talk: Exploring Developmental Cognitive Linguistics examines the relation between language and cognitive development.