A peek into language acquisition: Under the scientific microscope
We adjust our speech from moment to moment, depending on the situation. Imagine introducing yourself at an interview versus presenting yourself to friends-of-friends at a party. The way we speak to babies, also, varies a lot from place to place, and even on the baby…
The way caregivers talk to babies can be quite peculiar. They may change the sounds of language, exaggerating intonations or raising the pitch of their voice (like after breathing in helium from a balloon). Or they may change the words they use, like saying ‘kitty’…
Conversations are one of the cornerstones of communication. We have conversations all the time, from very brief ones when we ask a store clerk about a product to hour long phone calls with our best friends. A full-fledged conversation with a young child, however, can…
Think of the hours on end you can spend looking up your favourite sports team’s stats, making each and every recipe from your go-to cookbook, or debating with your friends about top gardening techniques. You can likely remember tiny details about things most people know…
Social interactions involve two (or more) people. Yet, when one of those people is a preverbal infant, an interaction can feel like a monologue. It can feel like the caregiver is just talking, or signing, to themself. So how can a caregiver foster language learning…
Imagine the moment a baby sees the world for the first time. All the sights and sounds that are just everyday happenings for us. A lot of learning about the world begins with joint attention. Moments when a child and a caregiver (or peer) interact…