Babies learn the pattern of their mother's native language during the third trimester of pregnancy. The sense of hearing is very well developed in the third trimester. After the baby is born they begin speaking with an accent. Even their first noises have a definite accent quality that was learned before they were born.
A study of 30 French and 30 German babies aged two to five days showed distinctive differences in the cadence, intonation, and accent of baby's cries and other noises. The research demonstrated the differences depend on what language the mother speaks. This early development of accent is assumed to help the child learn their native language more quickly and is an evolutionary inheritance.
The study was the work of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, the Centre for Pre-language Development and Developmental Disorders (ZVES) at the University Clinic Würzburg, and the Laboratory of Cognitive Sciences and Linguistics at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris.
Original work:
Birgit Mampe, Angela D. Friederici, Anne Christophe, Kathleen Wermke
Newborns cry melody is shaped by their native language
Current Biology, November 5th, 2009
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Angela D. Friederici
Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig
Tel: +49 341 9940 112
E-mail: angelafr@cbs.mpg.de
Dr. Christina Schröder
Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig
Tel: +49 341 9940-132
E-mail: cschroeder@cbs.mpg.de
Comments