The Language Ladder
The ability to think in analogy
depends on
the ability to catagorize
which requires
the ability to make comparisons
which presupposes
the ability to describe
which rests on
the ability to acquire vocabulary
which grows from
intact sensory apparatus, exposure to words, a nurturing environment.
From A Language Yardstick by Priscilla L. Vail
Language development can be compared to a ladder. Each rung takes us to a more complex stage of growth. It is difficult to get to the next rung without "climbing on" the one below it.