Newborns are tuned in to the ups and downs of speech, and even a cry mimics language heard while in the womb
The upward intonation, the guttural “ck” and even the cheeky comeback to win the argument: at just 19 months old, baby Orla has mastered the crucial elements of speaking like a scouser.
Babies are so tuned in to the musical ups and downs of speech that even as newborns they cry in distinctive ways that reflect the languages that they have heard while in the womb. “It’s important to make parents recognise that any sound a baby is producing is part of his or her way into language,” she added. “We should admire that and listen to them – even if they’re sometimes in the mood to cry.”
Orla is also typical of research showing that children understand language before they can speak it, a phenomenon known as the “comprehension-production asymmetry”. Besides a definite “no” and “I wanna play”, the defiant toddler has few recognisable words, but there is no doubt she understands the gist of the conversation.
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