Unlike previously thought, babies are starting to learn languages in the womb.
Scientists have discovered that babies only a few hours old can distinguish between sounds from their native language and a foreign language. The finding indicates that babies have the capacity to absorb basic noises while still in their mother’s womb. The ability to listen to their mothers talk arises during the last 10 weeks of the pregnancy.
“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 and a professor of psychology at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash.
Forty babies, about 30 hours old and evenly gender mixed, took part in the study in two different countries (USA and Sweden).The infants were exposed to vowel sounds of their native language and a foreign language.
The reaction of the babies was measured by how long they sucked on their pacifier while hearing these sounds.
The test showed that babies in both countries listening to the foreign vowels sucked more, then those listening to their native languages. This signified to researchers that they were learning the vowel sounds in utero.
Patricia Kuhl, co-author and co-director of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences at the University of Washington said: “These little ones had been listening to their mother’s voice in the womb, and particularly her vowels for ten weeks. The mother has first dibs on influencing the child’s brain.”
Kuhl added that infants are the best learners on the planet and while understanding a child’s brain capacity is important for science, it’s even more important for the children.
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