For one, delayed speech in general is related to low birth weight and premature births. Why does this happen? There are a number of theories. So, the two continue to talk this way, understanding what the other is saying but meanwhile it sounds like gibberish or some concocted language to you. Although twin B is better able to articulate these sounds and words, he chooses to mimic or repeat the manner in which Twin A speaks. Here's a possible scenario: Twin A has difficulty articulating certain sounds and thereby certain words.

It's actually a matter of delayed or poor speech development in either one twin or both. In most cases, however, what the twins are speaking is not an entirely new or separate language. This is known as twin language, idioglossia or cryptophasia.

The idea that twins develop entirely fabricated secret languages that only they use and only they can understand has long been a source of fascination for scientists and lay people alike. (Reportedly, about one child per 10 to 15 children has difficulty comprehending or developing language skills.) While this seems to be the norm for many singletons, it's not always true of twins. As birthday number two approaches, your baby's vocabulary will probably comprise 40 to 50 words. As quickly as his understanding of your language is growing, he's beginning to master several words himself.

When you say, 'It's about time for lunch,' he makes his way to the kitchen. As soon as you say, 'We're going to the park,' your little one starts to head for the front door. Full sentences and concepts are digested on the spot. Over the next couple of months, your child suddenly understands more than the simple word here and there. Many babies begin to associate words with the objects they represent long before the babies can articulate the words themselves.Īfter your baby turns one, language development can quickly move into high gear. The gurgling, cooing and babbling you hear over the next five or six months will not be recognizable, but that doesn't mean your baby doesn't understand what you're saying. But by about the fourth month, your baby will start to hone in on certain sounds and will start making similar sounds himself. At first, the level, tone or quality of a person's voice is most striking. From birth up to about six months old, your baby is like a sponge soaking up all the sounds in his or her environment. Children develop language skills in stages.

How Twins Learn to Talk by Svenka Savić