Science has confirmed what mothers have long claimed: babies in the womb are already learning about their native language as they listen to their mother’s voice. A study funded by the National Institutes of Health and Pacific Lutheran University's S. Erving Severtson Forest Foundation Undergraduate Research Program has confirmed that babies as young as 30 days differentiate between the sounds of their native language and those from a foreign language, says a University of Washington news release dated Jan. 2.
According to Patricia Kuhl, co-author of the study, the fetus “locks onto” the vowel sounds in the mother’s native language.
"This is the first study that shows fetuses learn prenatally about the particular speech sounds of a mother's language," said Christine Moon, lead author of the study.
The study was conducted with 40 babies approximately 30 hours old. The babies listened to vowel sounds in both their native and a foreign language. Reactions were measured by how long the babies sucked on a pacifier. The results indicated that babies sucked longer when exposed to foreign sounds showing that babies already began the process of learning their native language while in the womb and are able to differentiate familiar and unfamiliar patterns in speech.
Kuhl explained that uncovering how babies learn could provide insights for lifelong learning.
"We want to know what magic they put to work in early childhood that adults cannot," Kuhl said. "We can't waste that early curiosity."
Results of the study will be published in the journal “Acta Paediatrica”.
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