Baby Talk To Talking Baby
Posted on Sep 22, 2009 under Uncategorized | No Comment
The uttering of the baby is what is called babbling, baby talk or twaddling. It looks as though that the babies make these sounds so as to prepare themselves to utter the sounds used for acquiring the language. However, they are not able to utter words that can be recognized. In the first year the larynx descends which allows the pharynx to develop to utter all the sounds that would be required to make up the speech. The baby begins to make noise when 5 to 7 months old. It is only when the infant is a year old that this baby talk transforms to recognizable words. Syllables are repeated by the baby. This is called reduplicative babbling. The baby begins to babble with a mix of syllables. This is called variegated babbling. Children usually babble much more when calm as compared to when they are excited or upset. The babies prepare themselves to speak the language with the basic sounds. Babbling is an innate response of babies as can be deduced by the fact that the deaf babies too.
From birth to 4 months the baby coos and gurgles. When the baby is 4 to 6 months old, it begins to babble. Babies enjoy babbling until they are about a year old or so. The toddler starts imitating sounds as well as words making their babbling meaningful when they are between 12-18 months. At the age of 12 and 18 months the toddlers start to repeat words. Meaningful words start emerging from the babbling. There are some 50 words or so that they can handle. They, of course, understand many more. They start forming short sentences. But they use familiar words wrongly. The baby progresses from crying and then moves on to cooing which becomes vocal play. Canonical babbling follows and then moves on to conversational babbling.
An effective means of communication that the babies use is the sign language. Babies often do not find the appropriate sound which gives them frustration. This can be avoided if they are also taught the sign language so that they can express themselves. Priscilla Dunstan proposed that universally there were only five words that babies use and each of them have a distinct meaning. She then released The Dunston Baby Language DVD in 2006 which teaches how these sounds can be recognized.
When adults respond to the babbling of babies with babbling, it helps the development of babies. Vocabulary development can be assisted by integrating some adult speech with the babbling. It benefits in the cognitive development of the baby. Whatever may be, the baby will be able to speak the local language in the end.