Recently, scientists have recognized that babies have some innate language capacities, but they are only just beginning to understand what these capacities are and how they work.
Babies that hear the "A" sound will automatically make mouth shapes to imitate this sound, even if they have never seen it before.
"This research confirms that the mother is the primary initiator of language and suggests that there is a neurobiological link between prenatal language acquisition and motor skills involved in speech," says Dr. Maryse Lassonde of the University of Montreal's Department of Psychology and the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Centre.
A mother's voice not only soothes her baby, but directly activates the parts of the brain that are involved with language learning.Researchers in Montreal found that the mother's voice is special to the newborn.
Electrodes were placed on the heads of sleeping babies while the mothers were asked to make the short 'A' vowel sound -- like in the French word 'allô.' The same procedure was repeated with the female nurse who brought the baby to the lab.
When each baby heard his/her mother's voice, the scans very clearly show reactions in the left-hemisphere of the brain,in particular the language processing and motor skills circuit.However, when the nurse spoke, only the right-hemisphere of the brain associated with voice recognition reacted.
Only a few hours old, these babies are already demonstrating a clear biological link between the mother's voice and brain response.
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