Cornell research indicates that across 13 languages and various cultures, parents modify their speech in response to infants' babbling, essential for early language learning. The simplification effect is observed among diverse parenting styles, including in subsistence farming communities. Caregivers adjust their responses to babies' vocalizations, creating a feedback loop that facilitates language acquisition, suggesting that infants are active participants in their language learning rather than passive recipients. This challenges previous notions of babbling as mere noise, highlighting its role in communication and learning.
"Babbling has long been thought of as immature, incomplete acoustic noise from a system that doesn't yet know how to produce well-formed adult speech..."
"The findings show babies and toddlers actively shaping conditions that make language easier for them to learn, rather than picking it up passively..."
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