Adults, even the brightest ones, often struggle with learning new languages. Dr Nina Kazanina in the Department of Psychology Bristol University, explains why.

People comprehend their native language with great speed and accuracy, and without visible effort. Indeed, our ability to perform linguistic computations is remarkable, especially when compared with other cognitive domains in which our computational abilities may be rather modest. For example, an average person is infinitely slower than a computer when it comes to adding up numbers or remembering facts. On the other hand, most humans surpass computers when it comes to language-related tasks such as recognising sounds and words, and comprehending sentences. [continue reading…]

Psychologists at the University of Liverpool have discovered that children as young as six are as adept at recognising possible verbs and their past tenses as adults.

In a study conducted by the University’s Child Language Study Centre, children aged between six and nine were given sentences containing made-up verbs such as ‘the duck likes to spling’ and were asked to judge the acceptability of possible past tense forms. The study focused on the process the children used to come to their conclusions rather than whether their answers were right or wrong. [continue reading…]

How does a child learn to speak? How is a tiny arm-waving package transformed in a few years into a seasoned conversationalist who knows how to change register and put itself in its friend’s shoes?

In the beginning is the cry: a keening, ear-splitting wail of alarm that sometimes develops into a rasping growl howl. The mother responds to the alarm, just as she is supposed to. Parents caring for their firstborn discover their inner Bruce Willis, rushing to the rescue, easier than anyone would ever have believed, because if the crying doesn’t stop, the world will come to an end. It takes years before the cry of a baby, any baby, stops catapulting them into alert mode. [continue reading…]