Babies are not born talking. They learn language, starting right after birth. How does this process take place? When do children master the skills needed to use language successfully? What stages do they go through as they learn to understand others and to talk themselves? This new edition of Eve Clark's best-selling, comprehensive textbook focuses on children's acquisition of a first language, the stages of development they go through, and how they use language as they learn. It follows children from their first sounds and words to the acquisition of adultlike skills in persuading, instructing, and storytelling, whether children are acquiring just one language or two at once. Skilfully integrating extensive data with coverage of current theories and debates, it is an essential guide to studying first language acquisition for courses in linguistics, developmental psychology, and cognitive science.