“Language is the central point of difference between human species and all others.

Language
lies at the root of that transformation of the environment that we call civilization” (The
Absorbent Mind). It is a human tendency to communicate with other and this could emphasize
the emergence of language. The evolution of the human language began with communication
through pictures and drawings. Then it developed into symbols. Later on, symbols became
words, words became letters and the alphabet was created which we use today. Until now human
language has been rising with the collective intelligence and improving itself.

“The only outwardly recognizable sign of the onset of the sensitive period for language is the
child’s smile” (Montessori, 1997, p169).

Maria Montessori strongly believed that language is innate and a child is born with what he
needs to develop language himself. It is part of the child’s tendencies as human to want to reach
out and communicate. As a human being, the child will want to share his thoughts, feelings and
information to others around him. Different types of communication include touch, facial
expressions, gestures, art, music, dance and of course written and spoken word. This human
tendency for communication is the link of understanding between people and as a human being
born in a society with other human beings, it is only natural that the child, as young and little as
he is, has it too from the moment he is born into the world.

It is vital that the parents and teachers prepare the child’s environment for language
development. In other words, they have to make it rich and full of language learning opportunity.
The nurturing environment is supposed to provide a safe and supportive space for the child to
find his voice. With time, the child will build his confidence; express his thought and ability to
communicate to others as well.

Maria Montessori believed that the sensitive period for language begins from birth to six years
of age. In detail, the sensitive period for learning to speak is from seven months to three years
old, for learning to write is from three and a half to four and a half. This occurs with the work of
the child using alphabet. The sensitive period for reading is from four and a half to five and a
half. It is useless to try to catch the sensitive period after it has passed. From birth the child
makes himself heard through cries, his muscles in the mouth and tongue begins to move. As the
child tries to make sense of the sound, he starts producing a range of sound: babbles. He needs a
language environment around in order to develop his own idea of language. At this stage of the
child, the mom communicates with him not only verbally but through the body language and
voice tone. From the age of two, the child creates words, like nouns. He is able to recognize and
name things. Then the child can use adjectives, verbs through the input of the parents. He has
realized the purpose of language and becomes aware of the process and meaning of language. By
the end of the first year, he is going from the unconscious to conscious learning of language. The
most dramatic jump in language development is the growth of vocabulary that happens between
two and six years of age.
 The child exposed to a rich language will seemingly absorb new vocabulary spark new interest,
develop conversational skills, as well as build social confidence and greater independence. As
the child grows older, he consciously leans into his environment to build on the information
absorbed earlier in life. Language learning is driven by a child’s social environment including
interaction with peer and adults. Therefore the environment plays a most important part in
Montessori’s approach to language at home and school. Maria Montessori realized the
importance of a well-prepared environment and the relation to the Absorbent mind. That leads to
the point: giving the child freedom to develop at his own pace. “We have always to bear in mind
that our purpose is not to teach grammar but to help the child to develop his language”. There are
four areas language of learning related to: listening, speaking, writing, and reading. The
Montessori classroom prepares the child for literacy in two main ways: a prepared environment
and the guidance of the teacher. When the child comes in the Montessori classroom, he has
absorbed his culture’s language. To help him in his language development, the Montessori
classroom is designed to help the child learn at his own rhythm. This allows the child to
concentrate on the learning of each important step in language.

The Practical Life activities indirectly prepare the child for writing. Pouring and transferring
exercises introduce the concept of holding a pencil in preparation for writing later on. These
activities are taught with very little language. The exercises in silence prepare the nervous
channel of language to receive new stimuli perfectly. When the child becomes interested in The
Sensorial materials, these activities indirectly relate to the development of writing skills. The
learning of different sensorial shapes and the recognition of shapes help to develop ability to
write and read. “Writing is a complex act which needs to be analyzed. One part of it has
reference to motor mechanisms and the other represents a real and proper effort of the intellect”
(Montessori, 1948, p203). The metal insets assist the child to develop the skill and knowledge of
drawing lines and keeping them within the boundary frame of the metal insets which indirectly
lead to information of letters and figures. The sandpaper letters exercises develop the child’s
pronunciation letters and sound. The sand tray assists the child to experiment with different
shapes, reinforce lines and curves. Mathematical exercises introduce the child to new
vocabulary. He learns the concept of numbers, the vocabulary associate with each number. The
cultural activities introduce the child to new language. Different cultural activities show him the
various language of the world.

But the most important tool in the child’s learning of language lies within the teacher. The
teacher can use the 3-period lesson to directly teach specific vocabulary for everything in the
classroom, home environment and refine the child’s understanding of pronunciation and words.
The teacher must support the child in learning, giving him order to classify what he has learned,
building self-confidence, and to provide him with meaningful activities. The teacher is the best
source in language development. “The lesson given by the teacher, which introduces the child to
the material and its use, is absolutely essential, with the material being something like a key that
unlocks a door” (Montessori, 1997, p142).
 The biggest misconception is that a child should be reading and writing at a certain age.
Reading earlier is not necessarily a good thing if it is forced and uninteresting to the child. In
other words, the child’s communication skills in the future may suffer as a result of the pressure.
The adults should encourage language development, be patient and seek assistance if concerns
arise about the child’s progress in language learning. As the child leaves the Montessori
classroom after the age of six, he will be able to communicate his feelings in well-formed
sentences and in writing. The child will have total reading and a sense of the home language at a
level where he will be the master of his words.

Language is of paramount importance socially and as the basic structure of thought. It enables
the child to integrate into society and to deal with abstract concepts. Because of the vital role of
language in the development of thought and in social relationships, feeding the sensitive period
for language cannot be underestimated. “The child must create his interior life before he can
express anything, he must take spontaneously from the external world constructive material in
order to compose, and he must exercise his intelligence fully before he can be ready to find the
logical connection between things. We ought to offer the child that which is necessary for his
internal life and leave him free to produce.” By unlimited exposure in the Montessori
environment, we will free the child’s creative and imaginative process; give him the means to
write and to tell his own stories. If the child misses the sensitive period, his chance of learning
language will have been lost forever.
References
 Montessori, M (1949) The Absorbent Mind.
 Montessori, M (1948) The Discovery of the Child.
 Montessori, M (1997) Basic Ideas of Montessori’s Educational Theory
 Montessori’s Philosophy of Language