Hinting At The Evolution Of Human Language – Bat Pups Babble And Bat Moms Use Baby Talk
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Ahana Aurora Fernandez, Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin
“Mamama,” “dadada,” “bababa” – parents usually welcome with enthusiasm the sounds of a baby’s babble. Babbling is the first milestone when learning to speak. All typically developing infants babble, no matter which language they’re learning.
Speech, the oral output of language, requires precise control over the lips, tongue and jaw to produce one of the basic speech subunits: the syllable, like “ba,” “da,” “ma.” Babbling is characterized by universal features – for example, repetition of syllables and use of rhythm. It lets an infant practice and playfully learn how to control their vocal apparatus to correctly produce the desired syllables.
More than anything else, language defines human nature. But its evo...