Babies are talkative even before they can speak. Using "mamama", "areu" or "bababa", they pronounce as early as six months a variety of spontaneous vocalizations that will gradually lead them to language. Far from being a simple random sound, babbling is actually a treasure trove of study for a linguist. Is it really the beginning of language? Do babies prefer certain sounds? Do we babble differently in different languages and cultures?
To answer all our questions on the subject, Vox invited Naomi Yamaguchi, member of the Labex EFL, lecturer in Language Sciences at the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, and researcher at the Laboratoire de Phonétique et Phonologie (LPP) of the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle and the CNRS.
Enjoy your listening! 🔊 (Podcast in french)
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