The Link Between Parents' Psychological Condition and Children's First Language Acquisition

Parents act as intermediaries for a child’s first language, providing examples of correct and proper language use from birth. In the process of first language acquisition, children learn through observation and listening to the language behaviour of those around them. Children absorb not only the vocabulary used by their parents but also sentence structures and intonation applied in daily conversations. Research by Kholisah, et al. (2025) indicates that parents play a vital role as language models, stimulus providers, language use guides, and motivators for a child’s linguistic development. This research suggests that parents are crucial models because children naturally tend to absorb language patterns from those they interact with most frequently. However, for first language acquisition to be effective, it is necessary to consider how parental communication is influenced by their psychological condition. Therefore, a child’s first language acquisition is closely linked to parents, particularly within a family background that possesses adequate psychological conditions, as this factor can determine the trajectory of a child’s linguistic development from birth to adulthood. Parents can provide consistent verbal stimuli and responsive interactions to accelerate language development, but this is only effective when parents have a healthy and stable psychological state. Children need a responsive and positive language environment to develop their skills optimally, yet the quality of this interaction is heavily dependent on the emotional and mental state of the parents. For instance, when parents use a soft tone and cheerful expressions with a 6-month-old child, it helps the child recognise phonemes, build emotional closeness, and stimulate cognitive brain functions to process interactive communication. Roza & Rani (2025) state that a primary form of this interaction is child-directed speech (CDS), a style of speaking to children characterised by a higher pitch, slower tempo, clarified pronunciation, varied and expressive intonation, and repetition with simplified sentence structures. In their book, Roza, W & Rani, A (2025) compare formal theory (innate grammar) and usage-based theory (social interaction and experience), concluding that an approach based on social interaction and actual usage shows language is a product of meaningful communicative experience, not just the activation of innate cognitive systems. This view asserts that emotion, motivation, and social interaction are highly influential in language development, making emotional support from psychologically healthy parents a prerequisite for a child’s active engagement in learning their first language. Thus, the psychological condition of parents is not merely an additional factor but the most critical element in forming the foundation that determines whether verbal stimuli and responsive interactions can be delivered optimally. Parents with a healthy and stable psychological state can provide effective CDS, cheerful expressions, and the soft tones necessary for a child to recognise phonemes and build emotional closeness. The role of parents as language intermediaries can only be maximised when they possess adequate psychological conditions, which can also determine the direction of a child’s linguistic development from birth to adulthood. Social media posts featuring Kenneth, known as Kenkulus (a portmanteau of Ken and calculus), who could recognise concepts like mathematical formulas, body organs, and planet names by the age of 2, serve as tangible empirical evidence that a healthy and stable parental psychological condition determines the success of verbal stimulation in first language acquisition. On social media, particularly the TikTok account @imchika21, his parents actively post Kenneth’s activities. In these posts, Kenneth not only demonstrates a wide vocabulary but also communicates actively and responsively. He can respond well to his parents’ questions, explain complex concepts, ask critical questions for his age, and show high enthusiasm for learning. This ability stems from an optimal psychological environment at home, where Kenneth’s parents have healthy emotional conditions, high motivation to develop their child’s potential, and the mental stability to provide consistent stimulation. As seen in every social media post, Ken’s parents use a soft tone when asking questions or giving answers and always offer appreciation when he succeeds or answers difficult questions for his age. Furthermore, Ken has been consistently provided with storybooks and knowledge books throughout his development. The soft tone used by his parents is a form of CDS that helps the child recognise phonemes, build emotional closeness, and stimulate cognitive brain functions to process interactive communication. Continuous appreciation creates a sense of emotional security.