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Mom’s viral chats with 7-month-old could be the key to language development, science says

Who knew yapping could be so productive?

TikTok:@justalexbennett

This could rewire her brain positively.

When Alex Bennett talks to her baby daughter Tate, she doesn’t use baby talk or silly voices. Instead, in her viral TikTok videos, she delivers high-speed, stream-of-consciousness monologues that would feel right at home in a scene from Gilmore Girls orThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (pretty much anything written by Amy Sherman-Palladino, essentially). In a world used to spouting nonsense like “goo-goo” and “ga-ga” to babies, Alex’s approach is a refreshing reprise—and, according to scientists, might be a genius parenting move. Alex and her little one’s candid conversations aren’t just making the Internet swoon (Bennett's TikTok, @justalexbennett, has amassed 1.2 million followers, by the way). These chats could be rewiring baby Tate’s cognitive development for the better.


mother, daughter, parents, kids, women, talkingPerfect mother-daughter yap couple. Giphy

The beauty of babbling

Even though most parents instinctively use a high-pitched baby voice to talk to their infants, Bennett treats her sweet baby like a dear old friend. She yammers on about everything, from her thoughts on mommy-daughter matching outfits to the latest nanny drama.

And who could blame her? There’s so much to discuss: their plans for the night (watching hockey, followed by a new card game called Four Nations), the perfect surprise for dad’s birthday (bravely, they’ll be attempting a lava cake for the first time but they have a back-up plan just in case that fails: store-bought chocolate chip cupcakes), and the intricacies of making “parent friends” (as Alex explains, “All of this matters: 'Where do they live?' 'How old’s the baby?' Because if they had a baby that was two or three years old, they’d be able to walk and,” she pauses and looks at Tate, sweetly. “You’re not quite there yet.”). She even introduces her to the concept of “bedrotting” in one video, with the two of them snuggled up in their pajamas with zero plans to leave any time soon. No sing-song voice, no made-up or cutesy words. It’s as if they’re just two adult friends having a conversation, albeit Tate doesn’t speak much. But when she does manage to fit in a burble or two, her mom listens in rapt attention before responding accordingly.


“Her first word will be a paragraph!” commented one viewer. And according to science, she may not be far off.

Why this matters more than you think

While the videos are certainly cute (in one, Alex and Tate co-conspire—well, as much as a seven-month-old can—to convince dad to make them ground turkey bowls for dinner), according to research done by Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a professor of psychology at Temple University and author of "Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children," there is an essential link between the amount of language children hear and their eventual language development. And the results don’t take long.

“Simply put, the more language children hear, the more words they produce.”


- YouTubewww.youtube.com

In a 2013 study called “Talking to children matters: Early language experience strengthens processing and builds vocabulary,” study authors Adriana Weisleder and Anne Fernald found that the more parents spoke to their children using “adult-style speech," the larger their vocabulary grew. By the time they reached two years old, these verbose children could already process words much better than their peers.

Yes, some of the comments on Alex’s videos are funny ( one user said, “So you’re telling me all I have to do is pop out a friend to talk to?”), but many others recognize the science at play here.


“This baby is going to be incredibly smart and articulate,” wrote another viewer, with another adding, “Jokes aside, this is actually the best way to stimulate proper language development in babies.”


How to set your kid up for success (by being a total motormouth)

Not all parents are convinced, though, that speaking to babies like mini-adults is such a good idea. "For one, they can’t speak back," a skeptic might sneer. Others roll their eyes and say something like “this feels weird and forced.”

The good news? There is no “right” way to speak to your newborns. But here are a few tips, just in case.

  1. Pay attention to their non-verbal reactions. The solution seems so simple, right? Just talk to your kids more. Speak nonstop, introduce more and more new words, and never, ever come up for air. Wrong. Just because they can't communicate through language, research suggests that children naturally pick up words and labels for things they find interesting. So, when it comes to introducing new words to babies, Harvard professor Catherine Snow, a pioneering researcher in the language and literacy field, recommends keeping an eye out for anything that might interest them: extra special gestures, excited noises, or facial expressions, and starting there. “Don’t wait for children to produce clear words before [you] start interpreting the noises that children make,” she warns. A toddler’s babbling isn’t something to scoff at: it’s their first attempt at communicating.
  2. Let them talk, too! As fun as it is to have a captive—and mostly silent—audience, there’s a subtle difference between talking at children and engaging with them. “If the adults just talk all the time, that doesn't work very well,” Snow adds. Interaction is key: notice what they’re interested in and comment on it. Label what they’re looking at. If they try to communicate, wait calmly and listen before responding. Alex has this down in spades. In a video, she begins to explain the family's plans for the night (they’re in Aspen at the moment), when suddenly, Tate begins to play with her mommy's face. Instead of correcting her or swatting her hands away, Alex just rolls with it, gleefully letting her daughter rub her tiny paws wherever she chooses, before asking her, laughing, “Do you like my red lips?”
  3. It’s all about context. The trick to teaching your toddler new words? Using them in the correct and natural context. For example, Snow paints a picture of a family gathering at the dinner table, where everyone is seated and alert. There are dozens of ways to demonstrate healthy language for the baby: A sibling might ask Mom about her day. If a car honks in the distance, someone could ask where the noise is coming from. 'Why are we eating chicken?' 'What is chicken?' 'Where does it come from?' The constant questions may seem tedious (especially when the people asking them likely know the answer), but Snow insists that these casual conversations are the foundations for babies to access new words and concepts.


parenting, language acquisition, learning, babies, mothers and daughters, speakingThis could change everything.Photo credit: Canva


Why this could change everything

Dr. Dana Suskind, founder and co-director of the Thirty Million Words Center for Early Learning + Public Health (and the co-writer of "Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children" with Kathy Hirsh-Pasek) has dedicated her research to encouraging parents to embrace their power as “brain architects.” As caretakers, everything—the words, sentences, ideas, and phrases a parent says (or withholds)—from their child can make a world of difference. Every word a baby hears, whether it’s about their new pajamas, the ribs and coleslaw being prepared for dinner tonight, or who will be at their next play date, all somehow seeps into their brain. They hear you, even though they can't quite understand you yet. These seemingly trivial conversations are literally the building blocks of language acquisition, and they are constructing your little one’s developing brain brick by brick, word by word.

So, remember: talking to your baby like an adult, with full-on sentences and lots of details, doesn't make you crazy: you’re building a stronger, smarter, and more loquacious future adult, one conversation at a time. They might even know what 'loquacious' means before preschool!

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Identity

This artist brilliantly tackles the concept of 'being offended' in a colorful comic.

Maybe we need a new word for 'offended.'

All images by Rebecca Cohen, used with permission.

Here’s a thought.

Self proclaimed "feminist killjoy" Rebecca Cohen is a cartoonist based in Berkeley, California.

Here’s what she has to say about her role as an artist taken from her Patreon page.

She says:

"In these trying times, the world needs a hero to resist the forces of tyranny.

That hero is definitely not me.


I just draw funny pictures and like to share my opinions. I'm Rebecca, also known as @gynostar."

Enjoy one of her comics below.

a four panel comic

An all too common exchange.

All images by Rebecca Cohen, used with permission.

three panel comic

It’s only words.

All images by Rebecca Cohen, used with permission.

six panel comic

Simple jokes contain implicit ideas.

All images by Rebecca Cohen, used with permission.

five panel comic

Discussing the impact of words.

All images by Rebecca Cohen, used with permission.

This article originally appeared eight years ago.



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Family

People can't get enough of this Italian preschooler's classically Italian rant

Her inflections and gesticulations are just too much.

@guiseppe_matilde/TikTok

An Italian preschooler's Italian rant has people in stitches.

All people have a need to communicate, but the way we do that varies greatly from place to place. Every culture has its own communication peculiarities that make our human family delightfully diverse.

Not only do humans speak thousands of languages around the world, but we also engage in culturally specific speaking styles, speech patterns, and body language—some of which are immediately identifiable.

Case in point: the Italian "finger purse" known in Italian as Mano a borsa.

Italians are known for speaking with their hands. Italian hand gestures can vary between northern and southern Italy, but one of the most universally recognizable is the pinched fingers or "finger purse." That's the gesture in which the tips of the fingers and the thumb are pressed together (forming a purse shape) and pointed upward, often in a repeated back-and-forth or up-and-down motion, sometimes with one hand and sometimes with both. Along with the rhythm of punctuated emphasis on certain words, especially when speaking passionately, the finger purse is often used to convey a question with a sense of annoyance, exasperation, or confusion.

It's a gesticulation most of us associate with a classic Italian grandma or grandpa, but when you see it coming from a tiny little Italian person, it's utterly hilarious.

A viral video, originally shared by (now-deleted user) @guiseppe_matilde on TikTok, shows a preschooler engaging in a passionate rant that is unmistakably Italian, both in the actual language she's speaking and in her hand gestures.

According to Italian speakers in the comments, the little girl is conveying a story about how someone commented negatively about her wearing a miniskirt. User @u/shykawaii_shark on Reddit shared:

"Rough translation for English speakers. Not a literal translation, I made it easier to comprehend

Mother: What kind of sense does that make!

Daughter: They told me 'What sense does going out with a miniskirt make?' Like, think for yourself! I can wear my miniskirt, and you mind your own business!

Mother: Exactly!

Daughter: Think about your own miniskirt, not mine!"

Got a feisty little feminist here.

As adorable as this video is, it's also an example of how culture gets passed on from generation to generation. An Australian study found that young humans across different cultures imitate adults in ways that animals don't. Animals will imitate adult behavior to the extent that it's efficient and necessary to perform a task, whereas humans will mimic even silly or frivolous behaviors that have no purpose whatsoever.

“Animals focus on getting the job done,” Mark Nielsen, a psychologist at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, told Science. “Humans seem to almost forget about the outcome and copy everything we see.”

That mimicry of unnecessary actions may contribute to the complexity of human cultures. After all, it's not really necessary to do the finger purse to make a point, but Italians do it anyway. Little Italians pick it up from adult Italians, and so the classic Italian communication style is passed on.

And thank goodness it is, because babies gesturing in Italian is absolutely adorable.


This article originally appeared two years ago.

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Culture

Idioms from around the world that become hilarious when translated into English

It can rain a lot more than just cats and dogs.

Photo by Erwan Hesry on Unsplash

Two donkeys are better than one—'repetition teaches the donkey.'

You probably know what it means to hit the hay, tie the knot or buy a lemon. Maybe you’ve already killed two birds with one stone today, so effortlessly that it was a piece of cake. But to a non-English speaker, using these phrases would probably make you sound crazy … or should I say gone crackers?

That’s the fun thing about idioms. They change depending on the time, place and culture creating them. In other words, they usually sound ridiculous to anyone except those who normally use them. Looking at turns of phrase in different languages helps us see the world through different eyes. And man does it seem impressive at a party.

Just think, instead of saying “it’s raining cats and dogs,” next time you could incorporate a more Lithuanian take, and say “it’s raining axes.” How metal is that?

It can also be raining old women, barrels, buckets, pipe stems, frogs, female trolls, fire and brimstone … depending on where you’re from.

Some of these idioms from around the world make a lot of sense. Others get so lost in translation, you can’t help but get tickled pink.

Swedish

”Nu ska du få dina fiskar värmda.”

Literal translation: Now your fishes will be warmed.

It's another way of saying someone’s in trouble, or their “goose is cooked.”

The Swedish language is definitely not lacking in the threats department. They also have a saying, “nu har du satt din sista potatis,” which translates to “now you have planted your last potato.”

Imagine hearing Batman say “You’ve planted your last potato, Joker.” Doesn't have quite the intended effect.

Italian

“Avere gli occhi foderati di prosciutto.”

Literal translation: To have one’s eyes lined with ham.

Leave it to the Italians to have food-related phrases. You can use this when someone can’t see what’s right in front of them. It can also be used when someone is blinded by love. Sadly, there is no “ham-colored glasses” idiom.

Icelandic

“Að leggja höfuðið í bleyti.”

Literal translation: To lay your head in water.

You say this when you “need to sleep on something,” or “put your thinking cap on.” This one is hilarious because I cannot fathom getting any mental clarity from holding my head in the water.

Arabic

"At-Tikraar yu’allem al-Himaar.”

Literal translation: Repetition teaches the donkey.

Practice makes perfect, but it especially does for donkeys. Animal-themed wisdom at its finest.

German

"Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof."

Literal translation: I only understand train station.

It's another way of saying “it’s all Greek to me.”

The history of this one is a bit mysterious. One theory is that it originated from WWI soldiers who had only one thing on their mind after getting discharged: returning home. Meaning, they could only comprehend the train station that would lead them there. Others say it refers to tourists new to Germany who have really only learned the German word for “train station.” Which would indicate that everything else is foreign to them.

And let’s not forget “nicht mein bier, nicht meine sorgen,” translating to “not my beer, not my worries.”

(Fun fact: The term “not my circus, not my monkeys” actually stems from a Polish proverb, not an English saying at all.)

Norwegian

“Å snakke rett fra leveren.”

Literal translation: To speak directly from the liver.

When you say something without sugar-coating it, you are speaking directly from the liver. This dates back to a time when the liver was thought to be the magical organ that produced courage. So speaking from the liver is just like speaking from the heart, only down and to the right a little.

Chinese

“Mama huhu.”

Literal translation: Horse horse, tiger tiger.

You can use it to say something is just okay. Not good, not bad, just … meh.

As the story goes, a Chinese painter who, not very good at his craft, created a drawing of an animal that looked sort of like a tiger, and sort of like, you guessed it, a horse. That story actually has a tragic ending that serves as a cautionary tale against carelessness. But nowadays it takes on a lighter connotation.

And like “comme ci, comme ca” in French, “horse horse, tiger tiger” isn’t quite as commonly spoken as non-native speakers would assume.

Language continues to be an ever-evolving and always entertaining way to not only appreciate other cultures, but also note the similarities. Words might change slightly, but ultimately we're all expressing the same things.


This article originally appeared three years ago.

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