Friday 29 October 2010

5 myths about baby talk | BabyCenter

5 myths about baby talk "Parents hear a lot of advice about their babies’ language development. Which tips are bogus? Here’s what research suggests about several popular beliefs about babies and the development of speech.

Myth #1: It doesn’t matter if you don’t talk to your baby–at least not when he’s very young.

Reality: Experiments demonstrate that newborn babies recognize their mothers’ voices. More than that, they already recognize the distinctive sounds of their mothers’ native language. And they prefer to a certain type of speech, which brings me to myth number #2…

Myth #2: “Baby talk,” that high-pitched, sing-song intonation that many people use when addressing babies, is bad.

Reality: This style of speaking is called “infant-directed speech” and it features many characteristics that seemed designed to help babies learn language. Not to be confused with speaking nonsense words (“coochie-coo!”) or trying to imitate a baby’s speech (“baby want wawa!”), infant-directed speech is about communicating more clearly. When people switch to “baby talk mode,” they speak more slowly, exaggerate their pronunciation,.

Learn more about how to teach baby to talk

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