A case study of the period of repetitive babbling in one Dutch infant is reported. Repetitive babbling is seen as a systematic and continuous process, during which the child is applying certain strategies in order to form concepts concerning the possibilities of his or her articulatory apparatus. Strategies identified are: (1) variation strategies, which consist of the systematic varying of an articulatory dimension, and (2) combination strategies, consisting of the combining of articulatory acts which previously have been exercised separately. Three stages are distinguished in the development of repetitive babbling. In the first stage the articulatory dimensions of "voice" and "closure" are discovered and their interrelationships are investigated. Babbling proceeds from vocalization to repetition. In the second stage the dimension of "duration" is varied and the effects of this variation on "voice" and "closure" are observed. Concatenations appear after repetitions in babbling. In the third stage the articulatory dimensions of "place of articulation" and "stress" are systematically investigated. Some global imitative tendencies may arise. Mixing and differentiation of babbles occur after concatenation and repetition. The subsequent stages of jargon babbling and first words are briefly discussed and their continuity with repetitive babbling is pointed out. Objections to a continuity approach to babbling are critically discussed and some areas for future research are indicated. (Author/RH)