What does lallation describe?

Lallation refers specifically to the early speech patterns seen in infants, characterized by repeated sounds and syllables, often resembling babbling or early attempts at speech. This developmental stage is an important part of language acquisition, as it represents how infants start to practice the sounds and rhythms of their language. It indicates a phase where children explore vocalization without the structured grammar or vocabulary of established speech, hence the terms "babbling" and "infantile speech" are closely aligned with lallation.

The other options describe different medical or physiological conditions. Dryness of skin and mucous membranes is a condition typically associated with dehydration or certain medical conditions, while fine, downy hair on fetuses (known as lanugo) is a normal part of fetal development that occurs in the womb. A functional disorder with involuntary movements refers to conditions like dystonia or tics, which are unrelated to the speech patterns described by lallation.