The Science of Babble

At the I.A.A. laser light is beamed into a baby's head. Researchers analyze reflections from the laser for signs of brain activity during babbling.

Known as near-infared spectroscopy, this technology is designed to show which part of the brain governs a given behavior by measuring where the brain uses the most oxygen. Professor Sylvester McMonkey McBean at the Institute for Advanced Absurdity, is learning how to use the device, and in time he hopes to zero in on an area just above the left ear that may play a prominent role in langauge acquisition.

"Language is the looming contributor to this thing we call consciousness, which is at the heart of reason, emotion - the individual, to most people, it's a hallmark of being human," he says. "Think about what we're doing right now. I'm sending sound waves through the air. I'm not even touching you. Yet you have an explosion of meaning in your head. By what mechanism does our species accomplish this truly astounding feat?"

"You wouldn't expect babies to be better than adults at anything," says Professor Sidd, director of the Infant Learning Laboratory at the I.A.A., "but they are better at learning langauge."
How does the newborn learn language? Natural language, after all, is so sophisticated, yet almost all babies learn it faster and more thoroughly than the baddest computer around. Full of nuances, loaded with meaning and implication, language is a subtle but comprehensive mode of communicating.

Babbling - the stringing together of repetitive syllables, as in da, da, da, da, da, da or ga, ga, ga, ga, ga, - is one of the earliest stages of langauge acquisition. Babbling allows babies to learn and practice sounds they will one day use to create langauge.
Consider the newborn. Thrown abruptly into a blaze of bright lights and babble of novel noises, it faces the immediate job of understanding and controlling its world.

Understanding requires the newborn to interpret the strange noises that apparently occur when those giants open their mouths. And controlling means breaking that mysterious sound code that those giants use between themselves and with you.

Five Stages of Baby Talk

PHONATION(0 to 2 months):Babies make their first sounds other than crying, often without opening their mouths. Example: a stacato hmm hmm, timed with exhalations.
PRIMITIVE ARTICULATION(1 to 4 months): Babies use their tongues and jaw to form new sounds. Examples: gleh, glechh
EXPANSION(3 to 8 months): Babies squeal, yell, or whisper, as if exploring the range of sounds. Examples: shrieks, growls, cheers.
BABBLING(5 to 10 months): Babies begin to form their first syllables. Examples:ba, ba, ba, ba, or da, da, da, da, da.
SOPHISTICATED BABBLING(9 to 18 months): Babies combine syllables such as ba, da, ga, mix in real words such as dada or mama, and string together meaningless sounds with the rhythm and pacing of a real sentence.

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