In a groundbreaking revelation, scientists from the University of Cambridge, as reported in Science News, assert that the annoyingly catchy nursery rhymes, often dubbed earworms, play a pivotal role in aiding infants to grasp language. According to their research, infants initially comprehend language through the rhythmic nuances of speech, specifically the rise and fall of tone present in songs like the ubiquitous alphabet song.
The study, highlighted by Science News and published in the journal Nature Communications, challenges the conventional belief that language learning hinges on phonetic information, typically associated with the alphabet. Surprisingly, the researchers suggest that dyslexia and developmental language disorders might be linked to rhythm perception rather than difficulties in processing phonetic details.
Lead author of the study, Prof Usha Goswami, a neuroscientist at the University of Cambridge, emphasizes the delayed processing of individual speech sounds until around seven months of age. Despite recognizing familiar words like ‘bottle,’ infants gradually incorporate speech sounds, forming the foundation of language. Goswami proposes that speech rhythm information acts as the hidden glue essential for the development of a well-functioning language system.
In light of these findings, Science News encourages parents to engage with their infants through talking and singing, emphasizing the potential impact on language outcomes. The traditional notion that infants assemble small sound elements to construct words is challenged, as the study reveals that phonetic encoding in babies emerges gradually over the first year of life.
To investigate language learning in infants, the researchers recorded the brain activity of 50 infants at four, seven, and 11 months old while they watched a video of a primary school teacher singing 18 nursery rhymes. Phonetic encoding in babies, starting with dental and nasal sounds, was found to develop gradually, providing insights into the building blocks of language acquisition.
Goswami concludes that infants utilize rhythmic information as a scaffold to add phonetic details, exemplified by recognizing the strong-weak rhythm pattern in words like ‘daddy’ or ‘mummy.’ Rhythm, she asserts, is a universal aspect of language, biologically programmed to be emphasized when speaking to babies.
This study, highlighted in Science News and part of the BabyRhythm project led by Goswami, delves into the intricate relationship between language, dyslexia, and developmental language disorders. The findings challenge previous explanations rooted in phonetic issues, suggesting that individual differences in language learning skills may indeed originate from rhythm perception.