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language learning

·June 26, 2025·4 min read

Why Baby Talk May Be Uniquely Human

Child-directed speech, or “baby talk,” plays a crucial role in language development and is a near-universal human behavior. Researchers investigated whether this vocal strategy is shared with our closest relatives—great apes—and found that humans use infant-directed speech far more frequently.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 10, 2025·6 min read

Baby Talk Enhances Infant Speech Learning

A new meta-analysis confirms that adults exaggerate vowel sounds when speaking to infants, a feature known as vowel hyperarticulation in infant-directed speech (IDS). By analyzing 55 studies across at least 10 languages, researchers found consistent evidence for this speech pattern, though its strength varied depending on language, method, and sample size.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 3, 2025·6 min read

Writing by Hand Helps Children Learn Letters Better

A new study reveals that young children learn letters and word structures more effectively through handwriting than typing. Researchers taught 5- to 6-year-olds unfamiliar letters and pseudowords using either manual writing or keyboards.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·December 6, 2024·5 min read

What Drives Language Learning: Genes, Culture, or Geography?

A new study explores how cultural practices influence the transmission of native languages, showing that societal norms like matrilineal or patrilineal inheritance can affect linguistic and genetic evolution. The researchers found stronger links between maternal genetic inheritance and linguistic sounds in some matrilineal societies, particularly in Africa, but no consistent global pattern emerged. Using data from 130 populations, they analyzed how genes and languages evolve together as people migrate and how cultural norms shape these patterns.

This shows a child, a book, and a globe.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 15, 2023·4 min read

Global Secrets of Early Language Learning

A new study, involving an extensive international sample of 1,001 children across 43 languages, offers groundbreaking insights into how infants and toddlers learn language. The research utilized day-long audio recordings and machine learning analysis.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 19, 2023·4 min read

Repeating New Words Out Loud Isn’t Always the Best Way to Learn Them

When learning new vocabulary, repeating words can have a negative effect on learning. Silently listening to the words or pausing between hearing and producing the new word helps to better consolidate language learning.

This shows a little girl with a book and teddy bear

Featured Neuroscience

·December 5, 2022·4 min read

How the Broca’s Area of the Brain Helps Children Easily Learn Grammar

The development of a child's general and grammatical linguistic abilities between the ages of 3 to 4 is accompanied by the maturation of brain structures within the "language network".

Featured Neuroscience

·October 11, 2022·4 min read

Properties of ‘Baby Talk’ Similar Across Many Languages

Infant-directed speech, or "baby talk", displays similar properties across 36 different languages.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 29, 2022·4 min read

Exposure to Accents Helps Children Learn Words

Children exposed to diverse regional accents on a frequent basis have an edge when it comes to language acquisition.

This shows a young boy with his mom and the researchers

Featured Neuroscience

·September 28, 2022·7 min read

What’s in a Word? Identifying Language Disorders Earlier Can Set Children up for Success

The earlier language disorders in children are identified, the earlier help can be provided to insure fluid language acquisition.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·September 27, 2022·3 min read

Language Learning Difficulties in Children Linked to Brain Differences

Children with developmental language disorder have less myelin in parts of the brain associated with acquiring rules and habits, as well as brain areas associated with language production and comprehension.