Oh Sugar!

Babies learn meaning of words earlier than we first thought

For years experts have thought that babies dont learn the meaning of words until
they are around a year old, but psychologists now believe that babies grasp the
meaning of words as young as six months old.
A recent study shows that babies as young as six months can understand a much wi
der vocabulary, especially if parents speak to them normally from birth. In the
past it was thought that babies could understand elements of the language that t
hey hear, but that they couldnt connect sounds and meanings until much later in t
he first year of life.
Psychologists Elika Bergelson and Daniel Swingley studied babies aged six to nin
e months old to see how they responded language and corresponding pictures. The
pair discovered that when the babies heard a statement such as, wheres the apple, t
he childs eyes would move to the relevant object on the screen. During the tests
the researchers found that the 33 youngsters tested fixed their gaze more on pi
cture that was being named, than the other images.
Dr Swingley said: There had been a few demonstrations of understanding before, in
volving words like mommy and daddy. Our study is different in looking at more ge
neric words, words that refer to categories. I think this study presents a great
message to parents: You can talk to your babies and they're going to understand
a bit of what you're saying. They're not going to give us back witty repartee,
but they understand some of it. And the more they know, the more they can build
on what they know.
Dr Bergelson added: we're testing things that look different every time you see t
hem.
There's some variety in apples and noses, and 'nose' doesn't just mean your nose
; it could mean anybody's nose. This is one of the things that makes word learni
ng complicated: words often refer to categories, not just individuals.
The pair found no improvement in the pattern of learning from six months to nine
months, although at 14 months word recognition jumped forward dramatically.
Dr Swingley said: maybe what is going on with the 14-month olds is they understan
d the nature of the task as a kind of game and they're playing it. Or the dramat
ic increase in performance at 14 months may be due to aspects of language develo
pment we did not measure specifically, including better categorization of the sp
eech signal, or better understanding of syntax.
Dr Bergelson added: I think it's surprising in the sense that the kids at this ag
e aren't saying anything, they're not pointing, they're not walking. But actuall
y, under the surface, they're trying to put together the things in the world wit
h the words that go with them.
Those of you who are prone to the occasional swear word in front of your babies,
may have to change what you say to words like Rhubarb, Sugar and bulldozer!