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Key Concepts
- As young children learn to talk, they progress through stages of imperfect grammar, such as speaking in one-word sentences or dropping articles and word endings (“Mommy get bowl”).
- Scientists have long questioned whether these stages exist because a toddler’s brains cannot handle complex grammar or whether they are necessary stepping-stones in language development at any age.
- By studying international adoptees of varying ages, researchers found evidence that the stages of language usage are essential and not dependent on mental development.
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September
2009 Issue- Head Lines You Snooze, You Lose--Weight
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Editor's Note: This article was adapted from Mind Matters, www.ScientificAmerican.com/MindMatters, a column edited by Gareth Cook, a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist at the Boston Globe, and Jonah Lehrer, the science writer behind the blog The Frontal Cortex, http://scienceblogs.com/cortex
The setting: a nursery. A baby speaks directly to the camera: “Look at this. I’m a free man. I go anywhere I want now.” He describes his stock-buying activities, but then his phone interrupts. “Relentless! Hang on a second.” He answers his phone. “Hey, girl, can I hit you back?”
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