tag:theconversation.com,2011:/id/topics/baby-talk-70219/articlesBaby talk – The Conversation2023-06-26T20:06:09Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2078352023-06-26T20:06:09Z2023-06-26T20:06:09ZA new study of Warlpiri language shows how ‘baby talk’ helps little kids learn to speak<p>Parents and other caregivers typically <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01410-x">modify their speech</a> when they talk to babies and young children. </p>
<p>They use simple sentences and special words, like “nana” for banana. They also speak slowly, use a higher pitch, and exaggerate the ups and downs of the “tune” of their speech. In many languages, caregivers also exaggerate their vowels in a process called “hyperarticulation”.</p>
<p>Researchers refer to all these things as “child or infant-directed speech”. But it is also commonly known as “motherese” or “baby talk”. </p>
<p>Baby talk is used around the world. A 2022 study involving people from 187 countries <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01410-x">showed</a> adults can tell whether speech is intended for children or adults, even when they have no familiarity with the language being used.</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/phon-2022-0039">new research</a> looks at how baby talk works in the Australian Indigenous language Warlpiri. </p>
<h2>Why do we use baby talk?</h2>
<p>Simplifying speech and using baby talk modifications makes it easier for children to understand. But it also helps children regulate their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/infa.12237">emotions</a> because it sounds more positive. </p>
<p>On top of this, the enhanced “tune” is thought to attract and maintain children’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2013.09.001">attention to speech</a> and the exaggerated vowels <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1069587">help</a> babies learn the sounds of languages. </p>
<p>However, almost all we know about the shape and purpose of baby talk is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/014272372110664">based on studies</a> of a few European languages, Mandarin and Japanese. </p>
<p>These are languages spoken in predominantly <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/466029a">western, educated, industrialised, rich, democratic</a> cultures. This excludes thousands of other languages spoken in the world. </p>
<p>For example, where most of the world’s languages have just five to seven vowel sounds, many European languages, including English, have more than double that number, making those languages rather unusual. This raises the question of what modifications speakers use in other types of languages and cultures. </p>
<p>Do they use the same speech modifications to children? And if so, why?</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-baby-talk-is-good-for-your-baby-59515">Why ‘baby talk’ is good for your baby</a>
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<h2>Our research</h2>
<p>Our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/phon-2022-0039">research</a>, published this month, investigates the use and purpose of child-directed speech in <a href="https://shop.aiatsis.gov.au/products/warlpiri-encyclopaedic-dictionary">Warlpiri</a>. Warlpiri is spoken in Central Australia by more than 3,000 people and has three vowel sounds: “i”, “a”, and “u”, which correspond loosely to the vowels in “bee”, “bah”, and “boo” in English. </p>
<p>To compare vowels in words spoken to children to words spoken to adults, we videoed four Warlpiri-speaking caregivers in conversation with other familiar adults and four young children (aged between two and three) at their homes. </p>
<p>Our approach deliberately considers the real-life social contexts in which conversations are had. Most previous work has recorded interactions with children in lab settings, and then recorded caregiver-adult interactions separately, typically with an unfamiliar researcher. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/six-decades-210-warlpiri-speakers-and-11-000-words-how-a-groundbreaking-first-nations-dictionary-was-made-205019">Six decades, 210 Warlpiri speakers and 11,000 words: how a groundbreaking First Nations dictionary was made</a>
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<h2>Warlpiri baby talk helps children learn new words</h2>
<p>Our study showed Warlpiri speakers, with just three vowels, also use pitch and vowel modifications in their speech to young children. </p>
<p>It is the first time a finding like this has been established. </p>
<p>This is similar to what English speakers do. But there are also important differences.</p>
<p>Firstly, Warlpiri speakers raise their pitch and change the quality of their vowels so that they sound more like vowels produced by children. This modification likely enhances the children’s attention to speech. As <a href="https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_JSLHR-21-00412">other research has shown</a> children prefer to listen to the voices of other children over adults. </p>
<p>Secondly, Warlpiri speakers use vowel modifications for a special teaching purpose. </p>
<p>Walpiri caregivers pronounce nouns with very clear and exaggerated vowels. This is different from how they pronounce vowels in other parts of speech, such as verbs. It is also very different from the way adult Walpiri speakers speak to each other. This helps little children learn new words by ensuring the names for things (often “toys” or “food”) stand out in speech.</p>
<p>Adults are probably not aware of how their vowels sound, or how they are changing them. But they are aware of other aspects of how they change their speech in baby talk style. As Alice Nelson Napurrurla also told us: </p>
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<p>When we are sitting and talking with the little ones, we must always use their words […] like when we say ‘mangarri’ [food], ‘miyi’ [vegetable food], they say ‘nyanya’ [food]. Or when we say ‘jinta-kari’, ‘jinta-kari’ means ‘another one’, but the little ones they use ‘jija-jayi’ [another one] […] we’ve got to use their language.</p>
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<p>Our study is the first to observe that caregivers use vowel and pitch modifications to achieve two different goals at the same time: to hold child attention and to teach the names for things. </p>
<p>We believe they are able to do this because Warlpiri has only three vowels. By contrast, a new study of Danish, which has more than 20 vowels, revealed Danish caregivers make their speech slower and exaggerate the “tune” but <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13950">do not hyperarticulate</a> their vowels. This shows us while baby talk might be a universal phenomenon, the vowel inventory of each language plays an important role in determining what strategies caregivers can use.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/lots-of-kids-are-late-talkers-heres-when-to-take-action-206609">Lots of kids are 'late talkers'. Here's when to take action</a>
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<h2>What next?</h2>
<p>Our research shows again how baby talk is not an affectation or a silly thing adults do. It helps little children learn language. </p>
<p>Warlpiri caregivers make sophisticated use of baby talk modifications, showing the importance of further research on the shape and function of child-directed speech in diverse languages from across the world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207835/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rikke Louise Bundgaard-Nielsen receives funding from ARC Grant #FT190100243. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alice Nelson receives funding from ARC grant #FT190100243 and the ANU Futures Scheme for this research. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carmel OShannessy receives funding from ARC grant #FT190100243 and the ANU Futures Scheme for this research. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessie Bartlett receives funding from ARC grant #FT190100243 and the ANU Futures Scheme for this research. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Vanessa Napaltjari Davis receives funding from ARC grant #FT190100243 and the ANU Futures Scheme for this research. </span></em></p>Previous studies of baby talk have focussed on European languages, Mandarin and Japanese. For the first time, research looks at an Australian Indigenous language.Rikke Louise Bundgaard-Nielsen, Teaching Associate, The University of MelbourneAlice Nelson, Warlpiri Indigenous Knowledge Holder, Indigenous KnowledgeCarmel O'Shannessy, Associate Professor of linguistics, Australian National UniversityJessie Bartlett, Warlpiri Indigenous Knowledge Holder, Indigenous KnowledgeVanessa Napaltjari Davis, Researcher, Tangentyere Research Hub, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1662432021-08-19T18:01:21Z2021-08-19T18:01:21ZBat pups babble and bat moms use baby talk, hinting at the evolution of human language<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416565/original/file-20210817-27-17iivj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=6%2C74%2C4128%2C2541&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A babbling pup produces distinct syllables, visualized in this composite image.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/782534">Michael Stifter and Ahana Fernandez</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>“Mamama,” “dadada,” “bababa” – parents usually welcome with enthusiasm the sounds of a baby’s babble. Babbling is the first milestone when learning to speak. <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Phonological+Development%3A+The+First+Two+Years%2C+2nd+Edition-p-9781118342831">All typically developing infants babble</a>, no matter which language they’re learning. </p>
<p>Speech, the oral output of language, requires precise control over the lips, tongue and jaw to produce one of the basic speech subunits: the syllable, like “ba,” “da,” “ma.” <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Phonological+Development%3A+The+First+Two+Years%2C+2nd+Edition-p-9781118342831">Babbling is characterized by universal features</a> – for example, repetition of syllables and use of rhythm. It lets an infant <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-Emergence-of-the-Speech-Capacity/Oller/p/book/9780805826296">practice and playfully learn</a> how to control their vocal apparatus to correctly produce the desired syllables.</p>
<p>More than anything else, <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/evolution-of-language/2347BC6741639875250495BA3435056F">language defines human nature</a>. But its evolutionary origins have puzzled scientists for decades. Investigating the biological foundations of language across species – as I do in bats – is a promising way to gain insights into key features of human language.</p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=FZy7JlIAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">I’m a behavioral biologist</a> who has spent many months of 10-hour days sitting in front of bat colonies in Panama and Costa Rica recording the animals’ vocalizations. My colleagues and I have found striking parallels between the <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/10.1126/science.abf9279">babbling produced by these bat pups and that by human infants</a>. Identifying a mammal that shares similar brain structure with human beings and is also capable of vocal imitation may help us understand the cognitive and neuromolecular foundations of vocal learning.</p>
<h2>Vocal learning in other animals</h2>
<p>Scientists learned a great deal about vocal imitation and vocal development by studying songbirds. They are among the best-known vocal learners, and the learning process of young male songbirds <a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.neuro.22.1.567">shows interesting parallels</a> to human speech development. Young male songbirds also practice their notes in a practice phase reminiscent of human infant babbling.</p>
<p>However, songbirds and people possess different vocal apparatus – birds vocalize by using a syrinx, humans use a larynx – and their brain architecture differs. So drawing direct conclusions from songbird research for humans is limited.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416572/original/file-20210817-17-s2xcgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="brown bat on tree with its mouth open while vocalizing" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416572/original/file-20210817-17-s2xcgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416572/original/file-20210817-17-s2xcgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416572/original/file-20210817-17-s2xcgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416572/original/file-20210817-17-s2xcgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416572/original/file-20210817-17-s2xcgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416572/original/file-20210817-17-s2xcgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416572/original/file-20210817-17-s2xcgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A greater sac-winged bat pup babbling in its day roost.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/782536">Michael Stifter</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<p>Luckily, in Central America’s tropical jungle, there’s a mammal that engages in a very conspicuous vocal practice behavior that is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-006-0127-9">strongly reminiscent of human infant babbling</a>: the neotropical greater sac-winged bat, <em>Saccopteryx bilineata</em>. The pups of this small bat, dark-furred with two prominent white wavy stripes on the back, engage in daily babbling behavior during large parts of their development.</p>
<p>Greater sac-winged bats possess a large vocal repertoire <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-004-0768-7">that includes 25</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2008.05.018">distinct syllable types</a>. A syllable is the smallest acoustic unit, defined as a sound surrounded by silence. These adult bats create <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-004-0768-7">multisyllabic vocalizations and two song types</a>. The territorial song warns potential rivals that the owner is ready to defend their home turf, while the courtship song lets female bats know about a male bat’s fitness as a potential mate.</p>
<p>Of particular interest to me and my colleagues, the greater sac-winged bat is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2009.0685">capable of vocal imitation</a> – the ability to learn a previously unknown sound from scratch by ear. It requires acoustic input, like human parents talking to their infants, or in the case of the greater sac-winged bat, adult males that sing.</p>
<p>The only other non-human mammal that scientists have <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/4535550">documented babbling is the pygmy marmoset</a>, a small South American primate species that is not capable of vocal imitation. The greater sac-winged bat offered the first possibility to study pup babbling in detail in a species that can imitate the vocalizations of others. But just how similar is bat babbling to human infant babbling?</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416567/original/file-20210817-15-vuosuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="woman kneels behind video camera pointed at tree in tropical environment" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416567/original/file-20210817-15-vuosuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416567/original/file-20210817-15-vuosuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416567/original/file-20210817-15-vuosuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416567/original/file-20210817-15-vuosuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416567/original/file-20210817-15-vuosuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416567/original/file-20210817-15-vuosuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416567/original/file-20210817-15-vuosuh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fernandez spent long days in the field recording the vocalizations of greater sac-winged bat pups in their day roosts.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/782539">Michael Stifter</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<h2>Hundreds of hours of bat babbling</h2>
<p>To answer that question, I monitored the vocal development of wild pups in eight colonies. During the day, <em>S. bilineata</em> find shelter and protection in tree crevices and outer walls of buildings. They’re very light-tolerant, and adults like to stay several centimeters apart from one another, making it easier for us to observe and record particular individuals.</p>
<p>To be able to recognize specific bats, I marked their forearms with colored plastic bands. I followed 20 pups from birth until weaning. Starting around 2.5 weeks of age, and continuing until weaning around 10 weeks old, pups babble away between sunrise and sunset in the day roost. It’s very loud, audible even to the human ear because some babbled syllables are within our hearing range (others are too high for us to hear). For each pup, I recorded babbling bouts – some of which lasted as long as 43 minutes – and the accompanying behaviors throughout their entire development. In contrast, adult bats produce <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-004-0768-7">vocalizations that last no more than a few minutes</a>.</p>
<p><audio preload="metadata" controls="controls" data-duration="10" data-image="" data-title="Excerpt of a babbling bout of a Saccopteryx bilineata pup, in real-time." data-size="244600" data-source="Ahana A. Fernandez" data-source-url="https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/782535" data-license="CC BY-ND" data-license-url="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">
<source src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/audio/2247/babbling-excerpt-1-real-speed-black-background-credit-ahana-fernandez.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">
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<div class="audio-player-caption">
Excerpt of a babbling bout of a Saccopteryx bilineata pup, in real-time.
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/782535">Ahana A. Fernandez</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a><span class="download"><span>239 KB</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/audio/2247/babbling-excerpt-1-real-speed-black-background-credit-ahana-fernandez.mp3">(download)</a></span></span>
</div></p>
<p>Scientists have known for a while that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-006-0127-9">pups learn how to sing by</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2009.0685">vocally imitating adult tutors while babbling</a>. But our new study <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/10.1126/science.abf9279">provides the first formal analysis</a> that their babbling really does share many of the features that characterize babbling in human infants: duplication of syllables, use of rhythm and an early onset of the babbling phase during development.</p>
<p>Just as human infants produce sounds that are recognizable as what are called canonical adult syllables – those with mature features that sound like what an adult speaker produces – bat pups’ babbling consists of syllable precursors that are part of the adult vocal repertoire.</p>
<p>And just as human babbling includes what are probably playful sounds produced as the infant explores their voice, bat babbling includes so-called protosyllables that are only produced by pups.</p>
<p>Moreover, pup babbling is universal. Each pup, regardless of sex and regional origin, babbled during its development.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DN-9a4MVA1Q?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The pup (on the right, with darker fur) sits beside the mother bat and engages in babbling behavior in the day roost. <em>Credit: Michael Stifter</em></span></figcaption>
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<h2>Baby talk, from mom to pup</h2>
<p>During my first field season, I noticed that during babble sequences, mothers and pups interacted behaviorally and vocally. Mothers produced a distinct call type directed at pups while babbling.</p>
<p>We humans alter our speech depending on whether we are addressing infants or adults. This infant-directed speech – also known as motherese – is a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.277.5326.684">special form of social feedback for the vocalizing infant</a>. It’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.24.1.14">characterized by universal features</a>, including higher pitch, slower tempo and exaggerated intonation contours. The timbre – the voice color – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.08.074">also changes when people speak “motherese”</a> compared to when talking to other adults. Timbre is what makes a voice sound a bit cold and harsh or warm and cozy. Could it be that female bats also changed their timbre, depending on whom they directed their calls to?</p>
<p>The results were clear: For the first time, we’d found a non-human mammal that changes the color of voice depending on the addressee. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.00265">Bats also use baby talk</a>!</p>
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<p>Our results introduce the greater sac-winged bat as a promising candidate for cross-species comparisons about the evolution of human language. Babbling is like a behavioral readout of the ongoing vocal learning happening in the brain. When pups babble, they imitate the adult song – and provide us with insight about when learning is taking place. It offers the unique possibility to study the genes that are involved in vocal imitation.</p>
<p>And since bats share their basic brain architecture with people, we can translate our research findings from bats to humans. I’m fascinated that two mammal species that are so different share striking parallels in how they reach the same goal: to acquire a complex adult vocal repertoire – namely, language.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166243/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ahana Aurora Fernandez does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Vocal imitation is a key part of how humans learn to speak. New research shows that bats babble to learn and use baby talk to teach, just like people do.Ahana Aurora Fernandez, Postdoctoral Researcher in Behavioral Ecology and Bioacoustics, Museum für Naturkunde, BerlinLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1375792020-05-06T12:38:09Z2020-05-06T12:38:09ZWhy do kids call their parents ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/332875/original/file-20200505-83740-10dtdeh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=529%2C168%2C4592%2C3240&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Every known culture on Earth has special words for kids to call their parents.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/happy-family-in-garden-royalty-free-image/186479136">XiXinXing via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/curious-kids-us-74795">Curious Kids</a> is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to <a href="mailto:curiouskidsus@theconversation.com">curiouskidsus@theconversation.com</a>.</em></p>
<hr>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Why do most kids call their parents “Mom” and “Dad”? – Henry E., age 9, Somerville, Massachusetts</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p>Once, a long time ago, one of us, Bethany, fell behind at the grocery store and was trying to catch up. She called out her mom’s name, “Mom!,” and to her frustration, half the women there turned around and the other half ignored Bethany, assuming it was someone else’s child.</p>
<p>How was Bethany going to get her mom’s attention? She knew a secret trick that would work for sure: Her mom had another name. She called “Denise!” and magically, just her mom (the other one of us) turned around. </p>
<p>But why do almost all kids use the same name for their parents? This is the kind of question <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=f2RwlNoAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">we enjoy investigating as</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=20slzkIAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&authuser=1&sortby=pubdate">scientists who study</a> families and human development.</p>
<h2>The sounds heard ‘round the world</h2>
<p>All around the world, the words for “mom,” “dad,” “grandma” and “grandpa” are almost the same. <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/298380/the-meaning-of-tingo-by-adam-jacot-de-boinod/9781101201299">Other words</a> aren’t nearly as similar.</p>
<p>Take “dog,” for example. In French, “dog” is “chien”; in Dutch, it is “hond”; and in Hungarian, it is “kutya.” But if you needed to get your mother’s attention in France, the Netherlands or Hungary, you’d call “Maman,” “Mama” or “Mamma.”</p>
<p><iframe id="IcbXT" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/IcbXT/3/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>You can say “Mom” in any country in the world and people would pretty much know who you meant. And did you notice that “Dad” is also similar across languages – “Papa,” “Baba,” “Tad” and “Dad”?</p>
<p>Scientists have noticed the same thing. George Peter Murdock was an anthropologist, which is a scientist who studies people and cultures. Pete, as his friends called him, traveled the globe back in the 1940s and collected information about families from all over. He discovered 1,072 similar words for “mom” and “dad.”</p>
<p>Pete handed this data over to linguists, the scientists who study language, and challenged them to figure out why these words sound the same. Roman Jakobson, a famous linguist and literary theorist, then <a href="https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110820041-021">wrote an entire chapter on “mama” and “papa.”</a></p>
<p>The first sounds infants make are those that are made with the lips and are easily seen: <a href="https://www.asha.org/uploadedFiles/ASHA/Practice_Portal/Clinical_Topics/Late_Language_Emergence/Consonant-Acquisition-Chart.pdf">m, b and p</a>. These sounds are quickly followed by other sounds that can be easily seen: <a href="https://www.asha.org/uploadedFiles/ASHA/Practice_Portal/Clinical_Topics/Late_Language_Emergence/Consonant-Acquisition-Chart.pdf">t and d</a>. It’s possible that as infants practice making these easy sounds (mamamamama) or produce these sounds while nursing or drinking from a bottle, the mother hears “mama.” She then smiles with joy and says, “Mama! You said Mama!”</p>
<p>Of course, the baby is happy to see the mother happy, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01918">so the baby says it again</a>. Bingo, “Mama” is born. Similarly, the baby may practice “dadadadada” or “papapapa” and the parents’ reactions result in the baby repeating “dada” or “papa.”</p>
<p>These words refer to the two most important people in most babies’ lives, followed closely by similar words for grandparents – nana, tata, bobcia, nonno, opa, omo – who often play important roles, as well. </p>
<h2>Reinforcing everyone’s roles</h2>
<p>But there’s more to this story. Once children can say many sounds, why don’t they call their parents Ella, Zoheb, Dipankar or Denise? </p>
<p>It’s because we all have rules that most of us follow. These are <a href="https://doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1061">rules related to our cultures, our societies and even our families</a>. We have rules for how to greet people (shake hands, hug), how to use forks or chopsticks, what to call our teacher (“Mrs. Bell”) and even where to sit at the dinner table.</p>
<p>We don’t think of these things as “rules”; they’re just there. One of these kinds of rules in most families around the world is that parents are the heads of the household and children are supposed to listen to them. By calling parents “Mom” or “Dad,” it helps everyone stick to their roles.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/332877/original/file-20200505-83745-80okg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/332877/original/file-20200505-83745-80okg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/332877/original/file-20200505-83745-80okg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332877/original/file-20200505-83745-80okg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332877/original/file-20200505-83745-80okg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332877/original/file-20200505-83745-80okg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332877/original/file-20200505-83745-80okg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332877/original/file-20200505-83745-80okg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Families figure out the versions that work best for them.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/two-fathers-laughing-on-a-couch-with-their-daughter-royalty-free-image/1189458051">Jules Ingall/Moment via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some parents feel that if you call them by their first name, you don’t think they are the boss anymore (and parents generally don’t like that). But every family is different, which is part of what makes life so interesting. Some families have their own rules that might differ from your family’s rules.</p>
<p>Most kids call their mom “Mom,” but <a href="https://coparenter.com/blog/special-alternatives-to-mom-and-dad/">some kids don’t and that’s OK</a>. For example, for our family rules, our kids may occasionally call us “Denise” and “Mom Bethany.”</p>
<p>The next time you call out “Mom!” in the store, whether in New York, Paris, Hong Kong or Durban, watch how many mothers turn around. It’s all because of a mixture of biology (easy sounds to see and make), environment (parents being happy you said this and smiling) and culture (rules).</p>
<p>If you have children when you grow up, what do you want them to call you?</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to <a href="mailto:curiouskidsus@theconversation.com">CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com</a>. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.</em></p>
<p><em>And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/137579/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>One anthropologist found 1,072 similar words for ‘mom’ and ‘dad’ in the world’s languages. It turns out a mix of biology, culture and encouragement from parents explains this phenomenon.Bethany Bustamante Van Vleet, Senior Lecturer in Family and Human Development, Arizona State UniversityDenise Bodman, Principal Lecturer in Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1334122020-05-03T15:26:41Z2020-05-03T15:26:41ZWhy a little baby talk is good for your toddler<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331177/original/file-20200428-110761-1ky089m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=62%2C46%2C5126%2C3656&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Babies around the world love 'baby-talk' and it can help them learn language too. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Richard Sagredo/Unsplash)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Has anyone ever told you: “Don’t baby talk to your baby?” Parents of young infants often tell us that they have heard this advice from friends, family and even health care professionals. </p>
<p>As the lead researchers in a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2515245919900809">study of over 2,200 infants across 67 laboratories in 16 countries</a>, we have good reason to give you the opposite advice. Our findings confirm that babies around the world love baby talk — or what baby researchers call “infant-directed speech.” What’s more, because babies prefer to listen to infant-directed speech, baby talking to them is good for their language development.</p>
<p>What is infant-directed speech? Imagine saying “look at the ball” to a cute, cuddly six-month-old. Now think about how you would say that same phrase to a co-worker or friend. </p>
<p>What you are most likely to notice is that the melody of your speech when you are talking to a baby is very different from when you talk to other adults — <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000900010679">your pitch is higher, and it’s also more animated, with lots of ups and downs</a>. The rhythm changes too — we speak in shorter bursts with longer pauses when talking with babies, and also <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.324.825&rep=rep1&type=pdf">exaggerate certain words, especially when naming things for them</a>. </p>
<p>People talking to babies also <a href="https://jstor.org/stable/1127699">use simpler words</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000908008763">ask more questions</a>, and even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/lnc3.12015">change the way sounds in some words are pronounced</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322984/original/file-20200325-168894-2b232l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322984/original/file-20200325-168894-2b232l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322984/original/file-20200325-168894-2b232l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322984/original/file-20200325-168894-2b232l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322984/original/file-20200325-168894-2b232l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322984/original/file-20200325-168894-2b232l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322984/original/file-20200325-168894-2b232l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A recent episode of the children’s show ‘Boss Baby,’ features a fictional ‘babblist,’ someone who can talk to and understand babies.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://whatsnewonnetflix.com/egypt/1846362/the-boss-baby-back-in-business-2018/season-3/episode-3/ga-ba-goo-ba-ga-the-babblist">(Netflix)</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Establishing a bond with your baby</h2>
<p>How does all the baby talk benefit your baby? The most obvious way is simply by getting your baby’s attention — all those melodic and rhythmic properties are great attention-getters for babies (and for adults too, for that matter, though they might give you a funny look). Getting a baby’s attention is good! </p>
<p>The more language a child hears directed towards them, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0956797613488145">the more language they learn</a>, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327078in0701_5">the faster they process the language they hear</a>. Plus, infant-directed speech <a href="http://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00240">communicates emotions effectively</a> and helps establish a bond between caregiver and infant. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331179/original/file-20200428-110761-p93rbk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331179/original/file-20200428-110761-p93rbk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331179/original/file-20200428-110761-p93rbk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331179/original/file-20200428-110761-p93rbk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331179/original/file-20200428-110761-p93rbk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331179/original/file-20200428-110761-p93rbk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331179/original/file-20200428-110761-p93rbk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Baby talk can get the attention of your baby — helping with parent-child bonding.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Thiago Cerqueira/Unsplash)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Other characteristics of infant-directed speech are argued to be more directly helpful for language development. Because it’s typically simpler than grown-up language, infant-directed speech gives babies a clear starting point from which to build up to more sophisticated vocabulary and grammatical structures.</p>
<h2>Global variations?</h2>
<p>The fact that North American caregivers use infant-directed speech, and that babies really like it, has been known for a long time. But while baby talk has been studied in dozens of languages, most of the research has been done on English speakers in North America. And we’ve had a nagging question about cultural variations. </p>
<p>Do babies around the world also love baby talk? Or have researchers been studying something that mostly applies to babies from college towns in North America? <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000900010679">In one small study, North American parents were the biggest baby-talkers in the six languages tested</a>. We’ve even heard Europeans say that they find our North American baby talk downright embarrassing!</p>
<p>There are some communities where very little of the language infants hear is directed toward them, for example <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12974">Tsimane communities in Bolivia</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01168.x">some Mayan communities in Mexico</a>. In those places, parents aren’t talking to babies much, let alone baby talking with them. Instead, most of what they hear comes from adults talking to each other. But these babies learn their language just fine.</p>
<p>Our project brought together researchers from 16 countries around the world to explore this question. Each lab ran the same study, using similar methods to measure infants’ preferences. Our first objective was to confirm, in a much larger sample than had ever been tested before, that the preference for infant-directed speech was real. </p>
<p>We found babies in our sample robustly preferred the clips of moms talking to their young infants compared with hearing that same women talking to another adult. </p>
<p>Moreover, this held true both for infants learning North American English and those learning other languages, telling us that this preference is not something unique to North American culture. </p>
<p>A companion study <a href="https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/sqh9d">that looked at bilingual infants</a>, headed by Krista Byers-Heinlein at Concordia University, found similar results. Even though they have richer, more diverse linguistic experiences, babies that grow up hearing multiple languages also preferred hearing baby talk.</p>
<h2>Talk to your baby</h2>
<p>Does this mean that caregivers should be encouraged to baby talk to their baby? Absolutely yes! Babies prefer baby talk in the many communities we tested, and other research robustly supports how this is beneficial for babies. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331598/original/file-20200429-155215-3xykrk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331598/original/file-20200429-155215-3xykrk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331598/original/file-20200429-155215-3xykrk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331598/original/file-20200429-155215-3xykrk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331598/original/file-20200429-155215-3xykrk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331598/original/file-20200429-155215-3xykrk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331598/original/file-20200429-155215-3xykrk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There is not just one ‘right way’ to speak to your baby. Here a baby and mom play in Denmark.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Paul Hanaoka/Unsplash)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There is still more work to do. We couldn’t test babies in every community. Two continents weren’t represented in our study: South America and Africa. We are currently working on new projects, collaborating with labs in those places.</p>
<p>Our findings tell us a lot of different factors affect infants’ preferences for how we talk to them. Caregivers talk differently to babies in different communities and even different contexts in the same community. </p>
<p>There is no one “right way” to talk to your baby. But be assured that baby talk is a positive part of supporting your infant’s language development.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/133412/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melanie Soderstrom is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael C. Frank is supported in part by funding from the US National Science Foundation and the Jacobs Foundation.</span></em></p>New research shows that babies around the world love baby talk — and when adults baby talk to them it is good for their language development.Melanie Soderstrom, Associate Professor in Psychology, University of ManitobaMichael C. Frank, David and Lucile Packard Professor of Human Biology, Stanford UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1225792019-10-01T11:28:43Z2019-10-01T11:28:43ZWhen should my child start speaking?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/292851/original/file-20190917-19076-52bl52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cheerful-mother-teaching-her-male-toddler-297400199?src=Tm6tNablsZ8A9BOqPgPfSA-1-4">Shutterstock/OlenaYakobchuk</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Children develop at varying rates in all sorts of ways, from when they take their first steps to when they understand that their own perspective might be different to someone else’s. Language is no different <a href="http://modules.ilabs.uw.edu/module/language-development-listening-speaking/variability-language-acquisition/">so there is no set age at which a child should start talking.</a></p>
<p>There are, of course, <a href="https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/speech-and-language">certain milestones</a> which most children achieve in their communication at certain ages and it can be a daunting time for parents who see their friend’s children begin speaking earlier than their own. For most children, this is likely just the natural variation in when children achieve their own milestones. For others, this could be a temporary language delay <a href="https://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/Late-Blooming-or-Language-Problem/">which will eventually see them</a> catch up without any intervention. </p>
<p>But for some children a delay in early language milestones might be the first sign of a long-term disorder of language development. So <a href="https://www.speechpathways.ca/2018/04/11/when-should-i-worry-about-my-childs-speech-language-development/">what should parents look for</a> if they are concerned about their child’s language development?</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/surprising-facts-about-how-we-talk-to-babies-85277">Surprising facts about how we talk to babies</a>
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<h2>It’s not all about speech</h2>
<p>Generally, children begin to babble from around the age of six months and say their first words between ten and 15 months (most start speaking at about 12 months). They then begin to pick up increasing numbers of words and start to combine them into simple sentences after around 18 months. </p>
<p>It is important to note that language is not just the sounds we make with our voice. The idea that language is only speech is a huge misconception. We take it for granted, but understanding the language used by those around us is a very complex task. We need to have knowledge of the words being used, have a concept of what those words mean in different contexts and understand the meaning of a sentence based on the order of the words. These are called receptive language skills.</p>
<p>Parents should be aware that from the earliest stages of language development, children understand more than they can communicate themselves. Indeed, it is through children’s understanding of the language surrounding them – in other words, what parents, siblings and caregivers are saying – that they build their own language skills. </p>
<p>Some conditions affecting speech, such as a stutter, are highly noticeable. In contrast, the problems children have when they are not developing language in the typical fashion can sometimes be hidden. Sometimes seemingly complex instructions can be readily understood due to the overall context. For example, telling your child to “go and get your coat and boots on” may be understood due to the context of getting ready to leave the house and understanding the words “coat” and “boots”.</p>
<p>Other instructions with a less clear context, such as “get the blue and black book that is under the blanket on the chair”, require a better understanding of the language itself and might be harder for children with language difficulties. It is often difficult to identify an underlying language problem in many children, particularly when they are good at using the social context. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/before-babies-understand-words-they-understand-tones-of-voice-81978">Before babies understand words, they understand tones of voice</a>
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<h2>When to seek help</h2>
<p>For the children themselves, it can be very frustrating when they are unable to express their thoughts or when they don’t fully understand what is going on around them. A child that has temper tantrums but finds it hard to say why they are distressed may have an underlying language difficulty. This might signal <a href="https://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/Late-Blooming-or-Language-Problem/">language delay</a>, which is not uncommon. If you notice that your child finds it hard to follow simple instructions this could be due to a difficulty in understanding language, which may indicate a more persistent problem. </p>
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<p>About <a href="http://www.hanen.org/Helpful-Info/Articles/A-Closer-Look-at-the-Late-Talker-Study--Why-Parent.aspx">70-80% of children</a> with expressive delays catch up with their language by the age of four. For others this might highlight <a href="https://radld.org/about/dld/">developmental language disorder</a> (DLD), a long-term impairment of language skills. Even experts find it difficult to tell language delay and disorder apart before primary school. DLD is thought to affect 7.6%, or <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jcpp.12573">one in 15 children</a>. DLD can affect expressive and receptive language skills and it lasts into adulthood.</p>
<p>All children have the capacity to thrive, but children with DLD may need extra support to achieve their full potential. Rather than “wait and see” it is a good idea to seek professional advice, particularly if your child is between 18 and 30 months and appears to have problems understanding language, uses very few gestures to communicate and is slow at learning new words. The first step is to contact a local speech and language therapy service. </p>
<h2>Boosting language skills</h2>
<p>Language is flexible and there is no such thing as too much language input. Whatever level of language development your child has, there are always things that you can do to boost their language skills further. </p>
<p>For example, when you are playing with your toddler, watch where their eyes are going and label the things they see. If they say “horse running”, you can build on this with: “Yes, the horse is running! Where is he running to?” This helps children to learn new words and concepts as well as learn about how better to structure sentences. </p>
<p>Reading books together is great for building language skills, as you can find new words in books for things not often seen in real life, such as zoo animals. It is also valuable in promoting attention and listening skills. Be sure to ask lots of “why” and “how” questions to get more language out of your child, rather than questions which can be answered with a “yes” or “no”. Watching videos or children’s television can be similar, but only if you are watching and discussing the videos or shows together.</p>
<p>It sounds simple but having back and forth conversations with your child can help enormously. Not only can this be incredibly rewarding socially, but it can help build and expand their language and wider social communication skills. Try to build this into regular activities, such as talking with your child while doing the supermarket shop.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/122579/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Here’s what parents should look out for if they are worried about their baby’s language development.Michelle St Clair, Lecturer in Psychology, University of BathVanessa Lloyd-Esenkaya, PhD Candidate in Psychology, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1131532019-05-07T23:21:41Z2019-05-07T23:21:41ZBaby talk is similar all over the world<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/271548/original/file-20190429-194600-sqrj40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=38%2C61%2C5071%2C3339&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Despite our differences, when it comes to babies, we communicate the same way all over the world. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Chiến Phạm/Unsplash</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There are <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674593770">vast differences in early child-rearing environments across cultures</a>. For example, the popular French documentary <a href="https://theindependentcritic.com/babies"><em>Babies</em></a>, which documents the life of infants in five different cultures, depicts the multitude of ways infants can be raised across different ecological and cultural contexts. </p>
<p>These differences illustrate the reality of infants growing up in distinct contexts. Anthropologists have been documenting such variability for decades producing detailed ethnographies of parenting, family life and socialization practices across different cultural settings. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022117731093">Developmental psychologists have found that these early experiences shape human development</a>.</p>
<p>Yet despite these fascinating differences, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2017.04.017">a whopping 95 per cent of developmental science is based on only five per cent of the world’s population</a>. </p>
<p>The majority of developmental psychology studies are based on WEIRD societies: western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic populations. Given this imbalance, one might wonder whether our knowledge of child development extends beyond urban, North American societies. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X0999152X">The answer is, it depends</a>. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/271584/original/file-20190429-194600-lwkffu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/271584/original/file-20190429-194600-lwkffu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271584/original/file-20190429-194600-lwkffu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271584/original/file-20190429-194600-lwkffu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271584/original/file-20190429-194600-lwkffu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271584/original/file-20190429-194600-lwkffu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271584/original/file-20190429-194600-lwkffu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Ninety-five per cent of developmental science is based on only five per cent of the world’s population.</span>
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<p>In my research, I spend time with mothers, fathers, grandparents and babies to look at the ways in which they communicate, interact, teach and learn from one another. I am an associate professor of psychology at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. I was trained by both a developmental scientist (<a href="http://psychology.emory.edu/home/people/faculty/rochat-philippe.html">Philippe Rochat at Emory University</a>) and a bio-cultural anthropologist (<a href="https://henrich.fas.harvard.edu/">Joseph Henrich at Harvard University</a>). </p>
<p>I use my training in developmental methods to explore questions surrounding early experience and development across cultures. I have been fortunate to be welcomed into the homes of families in different corners of the globe. </p>
<h2>Attachment parenting</h2>
<p>For the past six years, I have been working primarily in one community in Vanuatu. Vanuatu is a group of islands, a three-hour flight from Brisbane, Australia. </p>
<p>Vanuatu was colonized by both the French and English. I have been working in a community on Tanna, Vanuatu. Historically, nearly half of the population on Tanna island has rejected colonization and all that it imposed: western education, languages and forms of religion. Therefore, Tanna has provided an interesting and remarkable forum for looking at socialization goals and developmental outcomes. Tanna is considered somewhat of a natural experiment for examining the impact of variation in socialization on development. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">The official trailer of the French documentary, ‘Babies’ directed by Thomas Balmes.</span></figcaption>
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<p>For example, <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/different-faces-of-attachment/9EC4FAF0F2CF7D8E7DBE7F15483D4B15">Heidi Keller, professor of psychology at Universität Osnabrück in Germany has recently suggested that one of the foundational human development theories, attachment theory</a>, is western-biased and in need of revision. Attachment theory suggests that the bond (the first relationship) between a child and her caregiver is the foundational human relationship upon which all other relationships are built. Keller suggests, however, that our understanding of human development is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022112472253">based on child development as it occurs within the western context</a>. </p>
<p>In our work, we examine caregivers and their infants in different societies, to determine the essential elements of child development. </p>
<p>What is common across cultures and what is different? Which theories need reformulation and which ones hold steady despite cultural differences?</p>
<h2>Eye-tracking technology</h2>
<p>In a recent study, my colleague Mikołaj Hernik and I used eye-tracking technology to compare the ways babies and caregivers communicate on Tanna. In this study, we showed babies short video clips with audio recordings of adults speaking in different ways: regular adult-directed speech and baby talk (or, infant-directed speech), and we observed and analyzed the way the babies responded. </p>
<p>We found that infants shifted their attention following the infant-directed speech, but <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30506550">not the adult-directed speech</a>. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/271588/original/file-20190429-194630-147g099.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/271588/original/file-20190429-194630-147g099.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271588/original/file-20190429-194630-147g099.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271588/original/file-20190429-194630-147g099.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271588/original/file-20190429-194630-147g099.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271588/original/file-20190429-194630-147g099.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271588/original/file-20190429-194630-147g099.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Research suggests that babies communicate in similar ways around the world.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alex Hockett/Unsplash</span></span>
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<p>This suggests that infants on Tanna are using communication cues in strikingly similar ways to infants in other regions of the world. </p>
<p>This research, alongside other work examining infant development, suggests that parents and babies communicate in remarkably similar ways despite striking variation in cultural practices.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113153/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tanya Broesch receives funding from Social Science and Humanities Research Council and the Jacobs Foundation. She works for Simon Fraser University as an Associate Professor of Psychology.</span></em></p>Research suggests that parents and babies communicate in remarkably similar ways despite striking variation in cultural practices.Tanya Broesch, Associate Professor, Simon Fraser UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.