Exploring Early Gesture and Language Development Trends in Sesotho-Speaking Infants (8 to 18 Months)

The period of early language development constitutes a fundamental phase in children’s later language and communication skills, underpinning their ability to express thoughts, regulate emotions and engage socially. Although this process often appears to unfold naturally, many children are at risk of language delays and disorders. Vocabulary breadth, in particular, strongly predicts literacy, cognitive reasoning, emotional regulation, social interaction, interpersonal relationships and long-term outcomes. Research in this field has historically been dominated by studies conducted in WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich and Democratic) contexts with findings often generalised to majority world settings1. Emerging evidence, however, reveals that language acquisition is embedded in culturally specific socialisation practices and that factors such as area of residence (urban versus rural) can shape developmental trajectories, underscoring the need for context-sensitive and culturally grounded research. To address this gap, the South African Child Language Development Node adapted linguistically and culturally appropriate versions of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories enabling the first systematic investigations into caregiver-reported early language development in South African children for all eleven of South Africa’s official spoken languages excluding South African Sign Language. This study contributes to establishing locally appropriate developmental norms and advancing understanding of early communicative development in underrepresented contexts. The present study analyses SA-CDI data to examine more about early gesture and lexical development among 111 monolingual Sesotho-speaking infants aged 8 to 18 months. It aims to further understanding of monolingual first language acquisition by exploring developmental patterns in gestural communication as well as receptive and expressive vocabularies among children in South Africa. Particular attention is directed to differences across age groups, as well as by biological sex and area. This research is especially significant given the lack of studies on early language development in the Global South, particularly in southern Bantu languages. Results show clear developmental trends across domains. Age predicted increases in gestures, phrase comprehension and receptive vocabulary, while expressive vocabulary remained low but accelerated after 12 months. No sex differences were observed. Urban infants outperformed rural peers in gesture production, phrase comprehension and receptive vocabulary but with no area differences in expressive vocabulary. Gesture, receptive and expressive measures were strongly intercorrelated suggesting a close relationship between nonverbal and verbal development. Maternal education showed no consistent main effects, although infants of less-educated mothers exhibited more variable developmental pacing. These findings extend understanding of early communicative development emphasising the importance of culturally and contextually grounded approaches to language acquisition in the Global South.

Grantor dc:publisher

Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Du Plessis, Tristan Reece

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Brookes, Heather
• Makaure, Patricia

Language dc:language.iso

en

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135763

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135763