【英语阅读】婴儿的语言学习能力从子宫时期开始

婴儿的语言学习能力从子宫时期开始Fromtheirveryfirstdays,newborns'criesalreadybearthemarkofthelanguagetheirparentsspeak,revealsanewstudypublishedonlineonNovember5thinCurrentBiology,aCellPresspublication.Thefindingssuggestthatinfantsbeginpickingupelementsofwhatwillbetheirfirstlanguageinthewomb（子宫）,andcertainlylongbeforetheirfirstbabble1（呀呀学语）orcoo."Thedramaticfindingofthisstudyisthatnotonlyarehumanneonates（新生儿）capableofproducingdifferentcrymelodies,buttheyprefertoproducethosemelodypatternsthataretypicalfortheambient（周围的）languagetheyhaveheardduringtheirfetal（胎儿的）life,withinthelasttrimester（三个月，学期）ofgestation（怀孕）,"saidKathleenWermkeoftheUniversityofWürzburginGermany."Contrarytoorthodox（正统的）interpretations2,thesedatasupporttheimportanceofhumaninfants'cryingforseedinglanguagedevelopment."Humanfetuses3（胎儿）areabletomemorizesoundsfromtheexternalworldbythelasttrimesterofpregnancy4,withaparticularsensitivitytomelodycontour（旋律轮廓）inboth1婴儿的语言学习能力从子宫时期开始musicandlanguage,earlierstudiesshowed.Newbornsprefertheirmother'svoiceoverothervoicesandperceive（察觉，认知）theemotionalcontentofmessagesconveyedviaintonation5contours（语调轮廓）inmaternal6speech(a.k.a."motherese").Theirperceptual（感性的，知觉的）preferenceforthesurroundinglanguageandtheirabilitytodistinguishbetweendifferentlanguagesandpitchchangesarebasedprimarilyonmelody.Althoughprenatal（产前的）exposuretonativelanguagewasknowntoinfluencenewborns'perception,scientistshadthoughtthatthesurroundinglanguageaffected7soundproductionmuchlater,theresearcherssaid.Itnowappearsthatisn'tso.Wermke'steamrecordedandanalyzed8thecriesof60healthynewborns,30bornintoFrench-speakingfamiliesand30bornintoGerman-speakingfamilies,whentheywerethreetofivedaysold.Thatanalysisrevealedcleardifferencesintheshapeofthenewborns'crymelodies,basedontheirmothertongue.Specifically,Frenchnewbornstendtocrywitharisingmelody2婴儿的语言学习能力从子宫时期开始contour,whereasGermannewbornsseemtopreferafallingmelodycontourintheircrying.Thosepatternsareconsistentwithcharacteristicdifferencesbetweenthetwolanguages,Wermkesaid.Thenewdatashowanextremelyearlyimpactofnativelanguage,theresearcherssay.Earlierstudiesofvocal9imitationhadshownthatinfantscanmatchvowel10soundspresentedtothembyadultspeakers,butonlyfrom12weekson.Thatskilldependsonvocalcontrolthatjustisn'tphysically11possiblemuchearlier,theresearchersexplain."Imitationofmelodycontour,incontrast,ismerelypredicateduponwell-coordinatedrespiratory-laryngeal（喉的）mechanisms12andisnotconstrained13（被强迫的，拘泥的）byarticulatory（分节的，关节的）immaturity,"theywrite."Newbornsareprobablyhighlymotivatedtoimitatetheirmother'sbehaviorinordertoattractherandhencetofosterbonding.Becausemelodycontourmaybetheonlyaspectoftheirmother'sspeechthatnewbornsareabletoimitate,thismightexplainwhywefoundmelodycontourimitationatthatearlyage."3婴儿的语言学习能力从子宫时期开始4