A baby’s brain is "wired" to seek out and learn language. Amazingly, they are born with the capacity not just to learn language, but to learn all languages. As researcher Patricia Kuhl from the University of Washington puts it, infants are "citizens of the world." They are able to perceive the different sounds and patterns of speech of all languages in the world. For example, at birth, Japanese babies can hear the distinction between "r" and "l,” although only the "r" sound exists in Japanese. They can still hear the distinction at 6 months of age, but cannot by 12 months. Even in the womb, a baby turns towards the melody of their mother’s voice. The brain is setting up the circuitry needed to understand and reproduce language. Babies learn to talk by hearing language and by being spoken to. Between 6 and 12 months, babies begin to fine-tune their ability to perceive the speech sounds of their native language as opposed to non-native language.
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Talking Reasonably and Responsibly About Early Brain Development
Center for Early Childhood Education and Development, Irving B Harris Training Center for Infant and Toddler Development 2001