Glossary / Lexicon

Inner speech is the language spoken softly or even silently to the self which guides behavior. In Vygostky's theory, the internalization of social language; a transition between spoken language and thought. Likewise, Inner speech is Vygotsky's concept of the ultimate binding of language and thought; the covert language used to guide thought. Inner speech originates in vocalizations that may regulate the child's behavior and become internalized by age 6 or 7.