why baby talk gives infant brains a boost

Baby talk

the special language adults sometimes use when talking to babies

Boost

improvement, enhancement

High-pitched

(of sounds) higher than usual

Exaggerated

being described as better, larger etc than it really is

Repetitious

involving something that is often repeated, in a way that becomes boring

fascination

a very strong attraction, that makes something very interesting

Linguists

a person who studies languages or linguistics

Womb

the organ in women and female animals in which babies develop before they are born

Prompt

make, cause, motivate

Pregnant

(of women) having an unborn baby growing inside her body

Infant

a baby or very young child

Native tongue

first language

Exposure

the fact of experiencing something or being affected by it

Bilingual

able to use two languages equally well

Prioritize

to put tasks, problems, etc. in order of importance, so that you can deal with the most important first

Absurd

completely ridiculous; not logical and sensible

Infant- directed speech

a powerful tool that parents instinctively use to aid language development in their infant's first months and years of life.

Equipped sb with smt

to provide sb with st

Interact with smb

communicate

pitch

how high or low a sound is

Fundamental

basic, essential

Frequency

the rate at which something occurs or is repeated over a particular period of time

Be rooted in something

to have developed from something and be strongly influenced by it

Bridge

a thing that provides a connection between two different things

Hypothesis

theory, assumption

Date back (to)

to have existed since a particular time in the past

Familial

related to or typical of a family

Speech

spoken language

Repertoire of smt

the total number of things that someone knows and is able to do= range, list, collection.

Fit sb with

put somebody in

Audio-recording vest

a kind of sound recording tool which covers the upper part of the body.

capture

record

Babble

(of a baby) to make sounds in a way that is difficult to understand before beginning to say actual words

Socioeconomic status

the social standing or class of an individual or group. It is often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation.

Matter

be important

One-on-one

between two people only

Pair smb up

to work together to do something

Universal

popular, common, widespread

play

to (cause a machine to) produce a sound

Synthesize

to produce sound electronically

Mimic -mimicked

copy, imitate

Auditory

connected with hearing

cue

signal, sign, clue, indication

Measure

evaluate, calculate, assess

Hold sb’s attention

make someone stay interested and keep reading, listening, watching etc

Induce

cause, create, generate

Approximate

to be similar to but not exactly the same as something

Theorize

speculate, hypothesize

Launch

start, begin, open, initiate

Property

a quality or characteristic that something has

Draw/Catch sb’s attention

to make people notice and be concerned or think about something

Speculate

guess, consider, think, anticipate

Recognize

know, realize, identify

Syllable

a word or part of a word which contains a single vowel sound

Activation

the act of making something start or making it start working

motor

relating to muscles that produce movement, or the nerves and parts of the brain that control these muscles.

Significant

important, essential, meaningful # insignificant.

Engage in

involve in, participate in

Figure out (how/why/what)

to understand or solve something

Regardless of

without being affected or influenced by something

Uncover

discover, find out # hide, conceal, cover up