Birth to 3 months

During the first few months of an infant's life, a limited variety of vocalizations are produced. Some of the initial noises and sounds produced include discomfort sounds, crying, fussing, reflexive, and vegetative noises. Examples of some vegetative noises include burping, sneezing, coughing, hiccupping, and grunting.

Vocalizations may include vowel-like sounds, consonants, noises made in the throat, and noises made with the mouth closed or partially closed. Central and front vowels are the most commonly occurring vowels produced during this stage. Back vowels are rare.

Gooing also emerges around 2 to 3 months of age. Goos typically include glottal stops, fricatives, and nasals, with central vowel qualities. These vocalizations are beginning to have syllable-like characteristics. However, the timing is not yet the same as an adult's timing for syllables.

Clip 1. The infant is interacting with his aunt. He produces gooing sounds, nasalized vowels, and growls.

Clip 2. The infant produces a long vowel. His babbling includes /m/ and /b/ sounds and demonstrates more variation in his babbling than the previous clip. He also produces reflexive sounds such as hiccupping.

Clip 3. This clip is a good example of the infant imitating his father. He produces growls, squeals, and hiccups.