Baby's First Words and Other Speech Development Milestones

3. First-Year Speech

By the time a child reaches their first birthday, parents may notice they use longer strings of words and a greater variety of short, nonsense syllables. One-year-olds begin to understand that conversation is a two-sided, back-and-forth act. Because babies do not yet have the vocabulary to describe what they are trying to say, they also use body language and voice pitch to communicate with those around them. Bouncing up and down while talking usually indicates excitement, for example. At this age, babies also start to mimic the speech intonations and rhythms of those around them.