Most parents would agree with us that hearing the child's first words is a magical experience. At Center for Child Language we research the mental processes that enable the child to learn a language. We investigate the multiple pathways leading to the child acquirering one of the key building blocks of language: the 'word'. Words are essential to our social relationships. Adults master thousands of words. Words can be combined endlessly and they enable us to communicate with our surroundings every day. In articles and books as well as lectures, conferences and development we seek to maintain a focus on children's language acquisition and networking between researchers and practitioners.