As with language acquisition, children learn to produce languages more easily than adults. There is also a genetic connection in language production as with language acquisition. Children born with Williams syndrome have unusually excelling verbal skills. However, some genetic abnormalities can impair speech production and cause stuttering. 

Language production

New York University

Verbal Behavior

Breedlove, S. & Watson, N. (2017). Behavioral neuroscience, eighth edition. Oxford University Press.

Behavioral Neuroscience 8th Edition

Animals exhibit vocal behavior within their species, but struggle understanding human speech because most animals appear to lack grammar. Because of this, scientists searched for nonhuman language capabilities in other primate species as they are closest to humans. Studies showed that monkeys have a wide range of vocal behavior that is specific to certain situations. Just before vocalizing, monkeys display changes in electrical potential in cortical areas homologous to human speech areas. 

Vocal behavior in nonhuman primates

Language acquisition and production

- Phoneme
- Morpheme
- Semantics
- Syntax
- Pragmatics

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