Researchers have studied how babies learn language. They’ve discovered that speaking to infants in baby talk helps stimulate social brains and increase language perception skills.
But is baby talk good or bad? That depends on what and how it’s said.
1. It’s an attention-grabber
Researchers have observed that infant-directed speech can attract babies’ attention. When compared to standard spoken language, baby talk may utilize dramatic gestures, exaggerated words, and other cues unique to baby language to hold children’s interest and engage them. Infants are easily distracted; therefore, keeping their focus is vital to their learning process.
John Hopkins University researchers conducted an experiment in which they visited 16 nine-month-old babies’ homes and read them stories that contained words such as “python” and “hornbill.” After reading these tales aloud to them, they recorded responses; those listening more frequently to baby talk than standard speech talked more (Werker et al. 1994).
These findings indicate that babies prefer listening to other infants rather than adults, mainly sounds they could potentially make themselves; perhaps one reason why parents talk so often with their babies.
One theory suggests this phenomenon, noting that infant-directed speech often contains more function words – the types used to describe everyday events like “Mummy opened the boxes.” Furthermore, baby talk tends to use a higher pitch and rapid speech speed than other languages – something young children may prefer due to its potentially irritating, grating, sounding tone.
Baby talk has another advantage – breaking up an endless stream of featureless noise with meaningful words helps babies better comprehend what their parents are saying, helping them learn new vocabulary much quicker.
However, this isn’t an absolute rule; some fathers don’t use baby-voiced tones when speaking with their children, and some mothers may switch up the type of conversation depending on their mood – which could impact whether their kids speak up more or less often.
2. It’s a way to learn new words
Babies’ brains are busy learning the mechanics of speech production. Babies listen to their parents’ babble and then attempt to emulate it, creating associations between sounds and objects through sing-song tones in baby talk or repeated repetition of certain words such as “eat” or “play.” Parents can make this task easier by reading books together while talking about pictures from them or repeating familiar phrases such as “eat” or “play.” Reading with your baby or repeating familiar words such as “eat” or “play” helps your infant make these associations between sounds and objects! Reading together and talking about pictures or things helps your baby make these associations between sounds and objects and objects – perfect ways for parents or grandparents!
Baby talk can teach babies to recognize the boundaries between words. This may be due to parents rearranging their standard sentence structure so any new word comes at the end of an utterance (“iz happy” rather than “hap pee”) when using baby talk with infants (Fernald and Mazzie 1991). Adults do this, too, when trying to learn new languages (Fernald and Mazzie 1991).
Children exposed to baby jabber learn to associate specific sounds with specific objects. Their brains will develop patterns in language usage that associate certain sounds with certain things or activities they heard earlier; when these sounds recur frequently enough, their neurons begin associating them with that object or activity they associated them with previously.
Researchers have recently discovered that babies’ vocabulary can be significantly increased simply by listening to their parents speak – even if the parent’s speech is less clear than usual. In one experiment involving 16 nine-month-old babies at home with parents speaking in baby talk and then reading them stories that contained unfamiliar words like “python and hornbill.” Babies who heard more baby talk listened more attentively during this experiment and were more likely to recognize these foreign words when researchers checked on them a year later.
Unknown to most parents is why parents communicate less clearly with their babies; one theory suggests this may be related to more pressing matters such as conveying emotions or holding onto attention than teaching. However, research conducted at Stanford found that caregivers’ speech activates parts of a baby’s brain involved with language comprehension – even if you’re not fluent at speaking, engage your baby through talking, reading aloud together, and telling stories about daily events and happenings through words alone!
3. It’s a way to communicate
Researchers investigated baby talk to determine its effect on infant language development. An audio-recording vest was used to capture parent or caregiver speech and repeat it back to an infant; those exposed to a narrative from their parent or caregiver babbled longer and engaged in more meaningful dialogue compared to those listening to an automatic synthesized voice repeat vowel sounds.
Babies exposed to parents playfully exaggerating and modulating their voices were more likely to babble – which can serve as an early precursor of language production – suggesting that how one speaks matters more than hearing an abundance of words.
Prior research had focused on how much language babies hear; however, this study suggests that context matters when using baby talk with your child. Have a one-on-one conversation with them where baby talk can be used naturally – this will teach them that their verbal communication and gestures matter to you!
If your baby tries to communicate something by making noises or showing facial expressions, respond in an affirmative way, such as, “Oh, you must be hungry! Let’s go get some food!”. This interaction teaches them the art of conversation while at the same time showing them the importance of taking part.
Babies don’t just babble; they’re working to understand the world. Therefore, parents must focus on discussing things their baby cares about, such as toys, body parts, or household objects that interest them – this helps children connect words with specific objects they find interesting, giving them an improved understanding of what you mean when repeating certain phrases or using specific terms again.
Many assume that infants don’t possess the cognitive development to comprehend adult speech, yet this study indicates otherwise. Infants were found to make these connections quickly, showing their amazing brain’s capacity for learning and growth – something we must take advantage of by helping our children succeed.
4. It’s a way to interact with others
Baby talk has many advantages for infants and adults alike. Studies have demonstrated that those exposed to more expressive adult-directed speech develop more extensive vocabulary faster.
Experts speculate that expressive baby talk may help children learn the syllables that form words, enabling them to make connections between sounds and objects and develop the “if-then” reasoning skills necessary for language acquisition.
Babies benefit significantly from hearing their parents repeat syllables aloud, as it provides them with a model of how speech is produced and can help them emulate these movements with their mouths. A recent study discovered that the more “baby babble” parents use, the more their babies begin to babble themselves!
To put their theory to the test, researchers played repeated vowel sounds to infants aged seven to eleven months using an egg-shaped hair dryer device reminiscent of those once found in beauty salons to monitor infant reactions. Experimenters observed activity in their superior temporal gyrus region, which processes sound and is essential for language processing.
Researchers noted that repeated syllables held infants’ attention nearly 40% longer than non-repeated sounds, possibly because the infants could associate these sounds with attempts at speech made with their mouths.
Studies have also demonstrated that when infants hear adults conversing amongst themselves, they are more likely to babble themselves. This may explain why particular toddlers become late-talkers – they didn’t experience enough expressive infant-directed speech like their peers who developed large vocabulary early.
Though it might seem intuitive that more exposure to conversation will promote brain development in infants and toddlers, the focus must remain on individual children rather than generalities. Utilizing rich vocabulary and engaging in back-and-forth exchanges that mimic natural environments will foster a love of learning while equipping them for future success.
