- Babies recognize familiar voices and Language before birth.
- However, the researchers stress that this finding does not mean that babies are actually learning language during pregnancy.
- This is the first time researchers have used infant brain imaging to study how infants process language during pregnancy and shortly after birth.
As most pregnant people can attest, talking to your baby while they’re still safely in your womb is one of the most comforting ways to feel connected. We introduce ourselves, listen to music together, and tell all about our siblings and grandparents. And when they are born, it seems as if they already know exactly who we are.
Experts have already proven that talking to your baby before birth promotes bonding, and this new study points to even more benefits of the practice.
What researchers have discovered about how babies process language
Research published in journals natural communication biology It turns out that fetuses can recognize different languages in the womb. Why is this a big deal? Because it means that babies recognize their parents’ voices after birth. This has been shown to be a scientific reality, not just parental wishful thinking.and the language they speak. And not only your native language, but perhaps a foreign language as well.
The sample size for this study was small, recruiting only 60 people, all of whom were in their 35th week of pregnancy. Researchers in Montreal asked 39 participants (the rest served as a control group) to read short stories in French, German, and Hebrew until their babies were born.
During the first three days of life, scientists used brain imaging techniques to observe how the newborns responded to these languages. As a result, all the newborns were able to recognize their native language, French. But babies who heard stories in Hebrew or German also showed brain activity indicating they could recognize those languages as well.
This is the first time scientists have investigated the brain itself to determine how newborns process language. In the past, by observing babies’ body language, researchers have made inferences about things like how babies turn their heads toward their parents and how their heart rate changes when they hear a familiar voice.
What this research means (and doesn’t mean) for children
Anne Gallagher, lead author of the study, emphasized: scientific american “We cannot say that a baby ‘learns’ a language” during pregnancy, only that different languages can form or form certain imprints in the newborn’s brain.
And for parents who already feel pressure to give their children the best education and the best start in life, this study doesn’t recommend that parents add yet another item to their checklist of milestones. As Gallagher noted, newborns may be able to recognize other languages, but that doesn’t mean they can recognize languages. understand They learn languages faster than babies who have not been exposed to a foreign language.
As far as scientists currently know, newborns who hear music, stories, and conversations in a language other than their native language do not necessarily get a head start when learning a second language later in life.
However, according to the same, scientific american Article, What is this study do This is to help scientists study how children’s language develops, which can make a difference in the early diagnosis and treatment of speech and language delays.
