Study: Baby Talk Is Educational
Mothers Slip Into Different Speech Pattern For Babies, Pets
POSTED: 4:10 p.m. EDT May 23, 2002
WASHINGTON -- Baby talk may sound syrupy to adults.
But to babies, it is an important lecture from baby's most
important teacher: Mom. But what about mothers who talk baby talk to pets?
Australian researchers put microphones on 12 mothers and recorded their
speech as they talked to babies, pets and to other adults.
They found that mothers slip automatically into a
different speech pattern for babies, as opposed to other adults or
to animals. Their findings are published in the May 24 issue of the journal Science.
For pets and for babies, mothers used roughly the same rhythm
and higher pitch. But there was a difference: For baby talk,
mothers elongated and emphasized vowels, as if to stress what they
were saying.
The researchers figure the moms were trying to teach
their babies to speak -- something they of course would not do for
pets.
Australian researchers put microphones on 12 mothers and recorded their
speech as they talked to babies, pets and to other adults.
They found that mothers slip automatically into a
different speech pattern for babies, as opposed to other adults or
to animals. Their findings are published in the May 24 issue of the journal Science.
For pets and for babies, mothers used roughly the same rhythm
and higher pitch. But there was a difference: For baby talk,
mothers elongated and emphasized vowels, as if to stress what they
were saying.
The researchers figure the moms were trying to teach
their babies to speak -- something they of course would not do for
pets.
Copyright 2002 by Lifewhile.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
