Final answer:
Babies can discriminate between phonemes from all languages at birth but by the age of about 12 months, they only distinguish phonemes in languages they are exposed to regularly. This change is part of the natural process of language specialization.
Step-by-step explanation:
Babies start developing language skills from a very young age, showing preferences in language sounds and facial synchronization from birth. Initially, they can distinguish phonemes from various languages, but by 12 months, they typically recognize only those phonemes present in the languages of their environment. The early ability to discriminate phonemes from many languages but later narrowing down to familiar ones is due to language specialization as they grow. Babies also engage in behaviors like cooing and babbling that precede actual speech and reflect on their growing awareness and control over language-specific sounds.