Language learning begins with listening. Individual children vary greatly in the mount of listening they do after 【S1】______ they start speaking, and late starters are often long listeners. Most children will 'obey' spoken instructions some time before they can speak, though the word obey is hardly accurate like a description of the eager and delighted 【S2】______ cooperation usually shown by the child. Before they can speak, many children will ask questions in gesture and by 【S3】______ making questioning noises. Any attempt to trace the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words lead to considerable difficulties. It is agreed 【S4】______ they enjoy making noises, and that during the first 【S5】______ few months one or two noise sort themselves out as 【S6】______ particular indicative of delight, distress, sociability, and so 【S7】______ on. But since these can be said to show the baby's intention to 【S8】______ communicate, they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language. It is agreed, too, that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyment, and that by six months they are able to add new sounds to their repertoire. This self-imitation leads on to deliberate imitation of sounds making or words spoken to them by other people. The 【S9】______ problem then arises as to the point which one can say that 【S10】______ these imitations can be considered as speech. 【S1】