“Can you say mama? Or dada? Wave bye-bye!” If you’ve spent any time around a baby, chances are you’ve heard of said things like this. The high-pitched (声调高的), singsong tone we switch to when interacting with young children can go by names—baby talk, or, according to development specialists, infant-directed speech. But as simplistic as this melodic chat might seem, the conversations are important.
Baby talk is an essential piece of speech and language development. Studies show that when infants are exposed to daily doses of it throughout their first year of life, they develop more vocabularies than other kids. By analyzing the jabber (含糊不清的话) between babies and caregivers throughout the world, investigators have pointed out key parts of the tender interactions—elements that, when parents apply them, help their kids learn more words and promote social interaction.
In a study led by University of Washington professor Naja Ferjan Ramirez, researchers recorded parent-child interactions at home, equipping infants with vests (背心) containing recording devices that listened for two continuous days at 6,10,14, and 18 months of age. Before each session (部分), some of the adults were coached on using infant-directed speech effectively, while others received no training. The kids of trained grown-ups performed better throughout the study, and follow-up surveys showed the benefits lasted: At 18 months, the average vocabulary of children whose parents had received coaching was about 100 words. However, children in the control group averaged about 60 words.
Researchers are still trying to find how baby talk functions and why it’s so beneficial. Better understanding of the role it plays in a child’s growth could help psychologists and others identify infants at high risk of developing a language disorder, says UCLA’s Sundara. And maybe, eventually, she says, it could result in earlier targeted treatments and therapies. So don’t be shy, sing. “Who’s that? That’s Mommy!” as much as you want—babies everywhere are listening.
12. What do we know about infant-directed speech from the first two paragraphs?
A.It helps develop babies’ language ability. |
B.It offers directions to parents about how to raise kids. |
C.It improves the babies’ trust toward the caregivers. |
D.It promotes the relationship between caregivers and babies. |
13. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A.Tone study. | B.Baby talk. | C.Kid vocabulary. | D.Language development. |
14. What does the study by University of Washington show?
A.The kids in vests were listened to for 18 months. |
B.The control group operated the recording devices. |
C.Ne kids in the control group learned more effectively. |
D.The programme involved four sessions. |
15. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?
A.How can babies learn to speak? | B.What are parents talking about? |
C.What’s the point of baby talk? | D.How can researchers identify kids? |