Recent research has revealed that babies begin learning the mechanics of speech sounds much earlier than previously thought. Published in Developmental Science, the study reveals that this fascinating process begins as early as four months old. This challenges the old belief that babies only start tuning into sound patterns after six months.
This discovery could help identify children at risk of speech or language delays much earlier. It offers a valuable window to provide targeted support.
SORTING THROUGH SOUNDS: BABIES’ EARLY SENSITIVITY TO LANGUAGE
By their first birthday, babies make significant progress. They fine-tune their ears to the specific sounds of their native language. This phenomenon, known as perceptual attunement, helps babies focus on the sounds most important for communication.
However, before this process of narrowing begins, infants have a remarkable ability to differentiate sounds from languages they’ve never heard. Babies in an English-speaking household can distinguish sounds from languages like Hindi or Mandarin. These languages are often challenging for adults.
This ability starts to narrow between six to twelve months. During this period, babies begin to focus more on the sounds they hear most frequently. The exciting new discovery shows that babies as young as four months are learning how sounds are physically made. This happens long before the narrowing occurs.
LEARNING HOW SOUNDS ARE MADE: A REVOLUTIONARY DISCOVERY
Imagine listening to a foreign language. You may not understand the words. However, you can observe how the speaker’s lips and tongue move to form sounds. This is exactly what four-month-old babies can do, and this new study proves it.
Researchers conducted an experiment with 34 babies aged four to six months, where they introduced two made-up mini-languages. One featured lip sounds like “b” and “v,” while the other focused on tongue-tip sounds like “d” and “z.” Each language was paired with a cartoon image. For instance, a jellyfish represented lip sounds and a crab stood for tongue-tip sounds.
The babies learned to associate each mini-language with its respective image. Later, they watched silent videos of a person’s face producing new words in these mini-languages. The researchers tracked how long the babies looked at each video.
Babies stared significantly longer at videos where the person’s face matched the cartoon they had learned. This showed that even at a very young age, babies can link sound patterns to visual cues. It demonstrates that their brains are actively learning the rules of language.
THE FOUNDATION FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING
This discovery is groundbreaking because it suggests that babies’ brains begin laying the groundwork for language learning much earlier than previously thought. By connecting sounds to physical gestures, babies as young as four months start identifying patterns that are crucial for later language development.
These early abilities provide the foundation for understanding more complex language rules, like distinguishing between different consonant sounds or learning to form words and sentences.
EARLY INTERVENTION: NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
The implications of this study are profound. If babies are starting to learn language patterns as early as four months, there may be an opportunity to intervene earlier for children who might be at risk of language delays. Providing support during these early stages could make a significant difference in speech development.
The study also raises intriguing questions about language learning. Could babies at four months also discern differences like voicing — such as the difference between a “buzzing” sound like “b” and a non-buzzing sound like “p”? How might being raised in a bilingual household affect this ability? And could babies use these early skills to learn patterns in entirely new languages?
THE ROAD AHEAD FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING RESEARCH
As researchers continue to explore these questions, the exciting journey of understanding how babies’ brains lay the groundwork for language development will continue. Each discovery brings us one step closer to unlocking the mysteries of how infants learn one of the most complex human skills — language.
