
Why is it about the baby brain that allows them to learn language? Why does the sing-song style of “parentese” speech help language acquisition? And how does growing up in a bilingual household change an infant brain?
These are some of the findings Patricia Kuhl, co-director of I-LABS, discusses in her TED talk, “The Linguistic Genius of Babies.” The video of the talk recently surpassed 2 million viewers on the TED website.
Called “astonishing” by TED organizers, the findings Kuhl shares in her 10-minute talk delve into her studies of how babies learn language through a combination of taking “statistics” of the language sounds they hear the most and social interactions.
Kuhl tells the TED audience that I-LABS research is embarking on a “grand and golden age” of discoveries about early brain development.
“We’re going to be able to see the child’s brain as they experience an emotion, as they learn to speak and read, as they solve a math problem, as they have an idea,” Kuhl said during her TED talk.
The work has implications for creating interventions for children who have difficulty learning and could yield insights to help improve learning throughout the lifespan.
“In investigating the child’s brain we’re going to uncover deep truths about what it means to be human,” Kuhl concluded, “and in the process we may be able to help keep our own minds open for our entire lives.”
“The Linguistic Genius of Babies” has subtitle translations available in 44 languages. Watch it the TED website or below: