Babies are fast learners when it comes to language.

New research reveals that they can distinguish speech sounds and understand the intentions of other speakers, before they’ve even learned how to talk. But how do you test a baby’s skills? And what does this tell us about language and the mind?

Linguist Daniel Midgley goes gaga on this episode of Talk the Talk.


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82: Fast Learners

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Show notes

Two great articles from Athena Vouloumanos and the team at NYU:

Infants’ Recognition of Speech More Sophisticated Than Previously Known
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120717100050.htm

Infants Can Use Language to Learn About People’s Intentions
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120723151030.htm