The ability of adults to understand what young children are saying when they're just starting to talk is quite remarkable.
Researchers from MIT and Harvard University conducted a study to understand how adults make sense of children's early language efforts.
They analyzed thousands of hours of recorded interactions between children and adults.
What they've discovered
What they found was that adults rely on both the context of the conversation and their knowledge of common mistakes children make when they're learning to speak.
In essence, adults use their previous conversations and what they know about how kids usually mispronounce words to understand what children are saying.
The study showed that adults are skilled at using this context-based approach to interpret children's speech.
This feedback mechanism may play a crucial role in helping children acquire language.
While there isn't direct evidence yet, researchers believe that the sophisticated language understanding of adults can make the process of learning language easier for children.
Why it might be helpful
Understanding how adults interpret children's early language attempts sheds light on how the learning process works and how adults play a vital role in helping children develop their language skills.
This research will contribute to better understanding the intricacies of language acquisition in young children.
