Literacy news
Study claims newborn babies cry in their mother tongue
6 Nov 2009
The study, published in the journal Current Biology, recorded and analysed the cries of 60 healthy babies: 30 born into French-speaking families and 30 from German-speaking families. The recordings were made in maternity wards when the babies were three to five days old. Analysis revealed clear differences in the shape of the babies’ “cry melodies”, which appeared to accord with their mother tongue.
While the average volume of crying was the same, the French babies started more quietly and built up to a crescendo, while the German babies did the opposite. These patterns are consistent with characteristic differences between the two languages, according to the researchers.
Professor Kathleen Wermke, who led the research at the University of Würzburg, said that the research supported the idea that unborn babies could be soothed by music or a parent’s voice. “We have shown that the brain is mature to process basic aspects of language and music, and speech probably is stimulating for the foetus.”
(The Times, 6 November 2009)
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