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Science Do German babies cry differently from Chinese?
A scientific study has found that German babies cry differently than those who come from, for example, China or Cameroon. The differences are explained by the researchers with the melody of the native language.
Screaming of babies carries traces of native language
Already the first crying of newborn bears traces of the mother tongue. This is evidently particularly evident in languages where pitch or pitch are determining the meaning of words, the Julius-Maximillians-Universität Würzburg reported in a recent press release. A research team from the university found this together with colleagues from other countries.
She has published the results of her studies in the latest editions of the professional journals "Speech, Language and Hearing" and "Journal of Voice".
Professor Kathleen Wermke, head of the Center for Pre-Language Development and Developmental Disorders at the University Hospital Würzburg (Polyclinic for Orthodontics) and first author of the two studies, said: "The crying of newborns whose mothers speak a tonal language shows a much stronger melodic variation, compared for example with German newborns. "
Researchers have found that Chinese babies cry more melodic than German. This has to do with the fact that the mothers of Asian children speak a tonal language. (Image: allari / fotolia.com) In tonal languages, words have different meanings
To arrive at their findings, the scientists examined 55 newborns from Beijing and 21 from the Nso people in Cameroon and recorded their vocalizations in the first days of life. The languages spoken there Mandarin (in China) and Lamnso (in Cameroon) are so-called tonal languages, in which the pitches in which syllables or words are pronounced also contribute to meaning.
The seemingly same sound can mean completely different things - depending on whether it is pronounced in a high or low pitch or with a special tone progression. Who wants to speak Lamnso perfectly, must master eight characteristic tones. In Mandarin, there are four such sounds.
Spontaneous vocalizations recorded by babies
The babies were not crying at the study. "We only recorded spontaneous vocalizations, usually whenever a baby became noticeable because they were hungry," explained Wermke.
It was shown that among the children of the Nso in Cameroon not only the "total internal variation of the pitch", ie the distance between the lowest and the highest tone, was significantly greater, but also the short-term up and down of tones during a vocal utterance was more intense in comparison to the newborn German mothers. "Her crying was more like a singsong," says Wermke. The results for newborns from Beijing looked similar but a little weaker.
Language development begins immediately after birth
According to the researchers, this finding supports a theory that they had already confirmed in comparisons of German and French newborns: "The acquisition of building blocks for the later language begins right after birth; not until babies start babbling or making first words, "the scientist said.
Experts point out, therefore, that parents do not do any good to their offspring when they talk to him in terms like Dozen Dozen or Make Buboo. Babies are dumb by baby talk.
Universality across cultural boundaries
According to the Würzburg scientists, newborns - after having had ample opportunity to get to know their "mother tongue" in the mother's womb during the last third of pregnancy - have in their weeping characteristic melodic patterns that derive from the environment - just like the mother's language - are affected. And even before they coo first sounds or try out in the language-like "syllable buffing".
At the same time, the research results speak for a high degree of universality in the vocalizations of babies across cultural borders. "In this case, we examined newborns from very different cultures," says Kathleen Wermke. On the one hand, newborns from Beijing, who have grown up surrounded by all the influences of modern civilization - radio, television, smartphone. And on the other hand, the children of the Nso, who were born in a rural environment where all the technical achievements of modernity are lacking.
"The fact that despite these differences in cultures similar effects in the two tonal language groups compared to the non-tonal German group show that our interpretation of the data points in the right direction," said the scientist.
Newborns can learn every language in the world
As stated in the University's communication, the results could - even carefully stated - even suggest that not only external but also genetic factors are involved here. "Of course, it remains undisputed that newborns are able to learn any spoken language in the world, no matter how complex it is," says Wermke.
According to the scientists, their results may help to better understand key factors influencing the earliest phases of language development than they have been so far. At the same time, this improves the ability to identify leading indicators that can provide information about possible developmental disabilities in this area at a very early stage. However, numerous clinical questions still need to be answered before clinical application. (Ad)