17.3k views
5 votes
True or false: infants prefer the language their mother speaks

2 Answers

1 vote
Answer: True. This is because even if a baby has heard a ton of languages, they would prefer their mothers tongue since they would feel closer to her
User Yeiniel
by
7.4k points
1 vote

Final answer:

Infants do show a preference for the language spoken by their mother, a phenomenon observable even before birth. They can distinguish this language from others and are biologically equipped to learn any language through regular exposure and socialization.

Step-by-step explanation:

True, infants do prefer the language their mother speaks. Research indicates that newborns show a preference for their mother's voice and can differentiate between her language and other languages. This preference starts before birth, suggesting that language and communication skills are being honed in the womb. Babies are attuned to language surrounding them and engage with faces that move in synchrony with spoken language. This early discrimination ability is not just auditory but is also linked to visual cues and social interactions. Different cultures have various methods of language socialization, but regardless of these differences, babies across all cultures are biologically equipped to master any language they are exposed to regularly. This phenomenon is supported by their innate abilities as theorized by Chomsky's concept of a language acquisition device (LAD) and is further influenced by the social and communicative environment they grow up in.

User Jimmont
by
7.6k points
Welcome to QAmmunity.org, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of our community.