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Study: Speaking ‘Parentese’ Helps Baby’s Language Learning

时间:2019-01-30 20:56:17

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(单词翻译)

 

It is common for adults to use “baby talk” when interacting1 with very young children. This way of speaking attempts to copy the sounds babies make when they first try to talk. But is this form of communication helpful to a child’s development?

Several studies have suggested a clear link between parental2 language methods and a child’s early language development.

Studies showed that language learning in babies was improved when parents spoke3 more than a few simple words and used a wider vocabulary. Earlier research found that the style of speech used by parents to communicate with their baby could increase language development.

One such speaking style is known as “parentese.” Research has shown that babies react better to this kind of language in the first months of life.

Generally, parentese involves adults speaking in a higher voice and at a slower speed. The language is simplified, while sentences are short and often repeated. Studies from the past 30 years have confirmed that babies spoken to in parentese developed larger vocabularies throughout the first three years of life.

A new study on the subject examined whether parents can be effectively taught methods to improve their parentese skills. The study was a project of the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences.

Patricia Kuhl is a professor of speech and hearing sciences, and serves as co-director of the institute. She says the goal of the study was to find out whether a parent can be “coached” to create their own speaking style to improve language learning in children.

Naja Ferjan Ramírez helped lead the study. She also is with the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences. She said that the parents involved in the research were first shown the importance of language input4 for their baby’s development. Parents were then given suggestions on how to use different parentese methods. They were then rated on how well they used these methods with their child.

“Most parents know that the amount of language their child hears is important,” Ferjan Ramírez said. “What we shared with them through coaching is that how they talk to their baby may matter even more.”

She added that the new study is important because there are still a lot of parents with little knowledge about how to use parentese to help their child. This was one reason the researchers included parents from different cultural and economic groupings, she said.

For the experiment, parents were given a small recording5 device, which they placed inside a piece of their baby’s clothing. All spoken communication from parents and child were recorded during a whole weekend as the family took part in normal activities.

The recordings6 were made at three different periods of the child’s life, when the youngster7 was six, 10 and 14 months old. The parents were divided into two groups: a control group and an intervention8 group. Those in the intervention group received coaching after their six and 10-month recordings.

Ferjan Ramírez said the parents who received coaching greatly increased the amount and effectiveness of parentese than the other parents. “But the most exciting finding was that babies of parents who received coaching showed better language skills at 14 months,” she added.

The study found that between the ages of six and 14 months, coached parents increased the amount of speech directed to the child and their use of parentese by 15 percent. Parents in the control group showed less growth in those areas, about 7 percent.

To measure a baby’s language skills, the team measured levels of what the researchers describe as “babbling9.” The team defined10 babbling as the use of vowels12 and vowel11 syllables14, or parts of word-like sounds.

Babbling can sometimes also include actual words if they can be clearly recognizable as such.

Ferjan Ramírez said increases in babbling are likely to lead to long-term improvements in child development. “This is important because we know that early language skills are important predictors of later language, and of children's ability to learn to read and succeed in school,” she said.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

vocabulary – n. the words that make up a language

style – n. a way of doing something

coach – v. to teach people how to get better at something

vowel – n. one of the letters a, e, i, o, u and sometimes y

syllable13 – n. one of more sounds in a word


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 interacting Jq3zFP     
adj.相互影响的;相互作用的
参考例句:
  • The interacting surfaces were lubricated with a mineral oil. 相互作用表面是用矿物油润滑的。
  • Proteins which have two separate but interacting sites are called allosteric proteins. 这种具有两个不同而又相互作用位置的蛋白质叫做变构蛋白质。
2 parental FL2xv     
adj.父母的;父的;母的
参考例句:
  • He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
  • Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。
3 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
4 input X6lxm     
n.输入(物);投入;vt.把(数据等)输入计算机
参考例句:
  • I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
  • All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。
5 recording UktzJj     
n.录音,记录
参考例句:
  • How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间?
  • I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
6 recordings 22f9946cd05973582e73e4e3c0239bb7     
n.记录( recording的名词复数 );录音;录像;唱片
参考例句:
  • a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
  • old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐
7 youngster PffwQ     
n.儿童,少年,年轻人
参考例句:
  • I rode the youngster on my back.我让小孩骑在背上。
  • That youngster works with a will.这小伙子干活有股傻劲儿。
8 intervention e5sxZ     
n.介入,干涉,干预
参考例句:
  • The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
  • Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。
9 babbling babbling     
n.胡说,婴儿发出的咿哑声adj.胡说的v.喋喋不休( babble的现在分词 );作潺潺声(如流水);含糊不清地说话;泄漏秘密
参考例句:
  • I could hear the sound of a babbling brook. 我听得见小溪潺潺的流水声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Infamy was babbling around her in the public market-place. 在公共市场上,她周围泛滥着对她丑行的种种议论。 来自英汉文学 - 红字
10 defined GuQzxW     
adj 定义的; 清晰的
参考例句:
  • These categories are not well defined. 这些类别划分得不太明确。
  • The powers of a judge are defined by law. 法官的权限是由法律规定的。
11 vowel eHTyS     
n.元音;元音字母
参考例句:
  • A long vowel is a long sound as in the word"shoe ".长元音即如“shoe” 一词中的长音。
  • The vowel in words like 'my' and 'thigh' is not very difficult.单词my和thigh中的元音并不难发。
12 vowels 6c36433ab3f13c49838853205179fe8b     
n.元音,元音字母( vowel的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Vowels possess greater sonority than consonants. 元音比辅音响亮。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Note the various sounds of vowels followed by r. 注意r跟随的各种元音的发音。 来自超越目标英语 第3册
13 syllable QHezJ     
n.音节;vt.分音节
参考例句:
  • You put too much emphasis on the last syllable.你把最后一个音节读得太重。
  • The stress on the last syllable is light.最后一个音节是轻音节。
14 syllables d36567f1b826504dbd698bd28ac3e747     
n.音节( syllable的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • a word with two syllables 双音节单词
  • 'No. But I'll swear it was a name of two syllables.' “想不起。不过我可以发誓,它有两个音节。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

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