| Brain studies, books, and language learning |
An article from our Bun E. Tales newsletter, Vol I, Issue 2
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| Babies are born with the ability to reproduce sounds in ALL languages... |
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| Babies are born with the innate ability to reproduce sounds in all languages, but at the age of 6 months they begin to discard those not needed to decode and reproduce their own language.
By the time they have reached 12 months, they are no longer able to distinguish the nuances of sounds not relevant to their native tongue.
However, a study of 9- to 10- month old infants by the University of Washington’s Dr. Patricia Kuhl
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An unexpected finding was that the foreign language exposure via TV or audio tapes did not result in learning with this age group.
It appears that human interaction is intimately linked with linguistic development.
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An article from our Bun E. Tales newsletter, Vol I, Issue 1
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| Enormous advances in medical imaging technology have provided scientists, neurologists, educators, psychiatrists, and others with a wealth of physical evidence about the human brain and how it works.
Among the most important language-related findings are that babies are wired at birth with the ability to learn ALL languages, and that the ideal or “sensitive” period for second language learning is between birth and age 6, after which it begins a slow and steady decline.
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| The sensitive period for second language learning is from birth to about six years old |
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| We also know of the critical importance:
1) of language in the development of deductive reasoning
2) of books over electronic media, especially during the first 3 years of life, and
3) of parental nurturing and human interaction.
We will continue to explore this vast and fascinating subject in subsequent issues of our newsletter, as well as on our website.
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