This course focuses on how native speakers of a language acquire the ability to speak and understand that language. It includes introducing relevant theories and research methods in language acquisition and exploring conflicting proposals, including nativist and constructivist views. Students will be familiarized with the characteristics and milestones of typical language and communicative development, mainly in monolingual children (as outlined in this course), to understand better the features of atypical language and communicative development (surveyed in other courses).