Language Acquisition News

September 9, 2016

Learning Foreign Languages Sharpens Our Minds

Maternal Language Shapes Infants' Cry Melodies

Most Adults Know More Than 42,000 Words

This Is Your Brain On Sentences

Latest Headlines

updated 1:06am EDT

Early-Life Language Stimulation, Skills May Prevent Childhood Depression

Sep. 7, 2016 — Children who experience low levels of language learning stimulation beginning at three years of age are more likely to experience language delays by first grade and are three times more likely to ... read more

Babies Chew on Subtle Social, Cultural Cues at Mealtime

Sep. 2, 2016 — At the dinner table, babies do a lot more than play with their sippy cups, new research ... read more

Sign Language May Be Helpful for Children With Rare Speech Disorder

Sep. 1, 2016 — Using sign language with intensive speech therapy may be an effective treatment for children with a rare speech disorder called apraxia of speech, according ... read more

Infants Develop Early Understanding of Social Nature of Food

Aug. 22, 2016 — A new study finds infants develop expectations about what people prefer to eat, providing early evidence of the social nature through which humans understand ... read more

First Study to Explore Language and LSD Since the 1960s: New Study Shows LSD's Effects on Language

Aug. 18, 2016 — The consumption of LSD, short for lysergic acid diethylamide, can produce altered states of consciousness. This can lead to a loss of boundaries ... read more

'Cultural Learners' in the Cradle

Aug. 10, 2016 — Well before starting to speak, children from a very young age pay higher attention to the information received from native speakers of their language compared to the information received from ... read more

Early Brain Connections Key to Reading

Aug. 8, 2016 — A new study reveals that a brain region dedicated to reading has connections necessary for that skill even before children learn to read. By scanning the brains of children ... read more

Hearing Test May Identify Autism Risk

July 25, 2016 — Researchers have identified an inner ear deficiency in children with autism that may impact their ability to recognize speech. The findings could ultimately be used as a way to identify children at ... read more

Background Noise May Hinder Toddlers' Ability to Learn Words

July 21, 2016 — A new study of toddlers has found that the presence of background noise in home or at school can make learning new words more difficult ... read more

Neuroscientists' Study Sheds Light on How Words Are Represented in the Brain

July 20, 2016 — Using direct neural recordings from the visual word form area, researchers were able to see words that patients read as the patients read ... read more

Severe Paralysis Partially Reversed Using Brain-Machine Interface Training

An Orangutan Was Able To Learn, And Mimic, Human Speech

Babies Who've Got Rhythm Might Have An Easier Time Learning Languages

'Boot Camp' Could Help Brain Grow, Prevent Dementia

Virtual World Improves Communication Following Stroke, Says Study

Aug. 12, 2016 — A virtual reality world called EVA Park can improve the communication of those who have impaired speech and language following a stroke, according to ... read more

New Study of Toddlers Sheds Light on Value of Facetime Video Chat as Meaningful Interaction

July 15, 2016 — Working parents and grandparents who FaceTime with their toddlers can take heart from a new study that sheds new light that on young children and how they engage in—and learn from—screen-time ... read more

Predicting Language Deficits After Stroke With Connectome-Based Imaging

July 11, 2016 — Imaging all of the brain's connections after stroke in addition to imaging only the areas of cortical tissue damage could better predict which patients will have language deficits and how severe ... read more

A Language Where Space Has No Directions

July 11, 2016 — The way that different languages convey information has long fascinated linguists, anthropologists and sociologists alike. Murrinhpatha, the lingua franca spoken by the majority of Aboriginal people ... read more

New Discovery on How the Inner Ear Works

July 11, 2016 — Parts of the inner ear that process sounds such as speech and music seem to work differently than other parts of the inner ear, researchers have ... read more

People With Anger Disorder Have Decreased Connectivity Between Regions of the Brain

July 6, 2016 — People with intermittent explosive disorder (IED), or impulsive aggression, have a weakened connection between regions of the brain associated with sensory input, language processing and social ... read more

Learn Much You Can, from Yoda’s Spoken and Subtitled Discourse

July 1, 2016 — The structural oddity of the speech pattern of the Star Wars character Master Yoda is probably one of the most instantly recognizable of all TV and film characters, even to those unfamiliar with the ... read more

Fast Fluency: Can We Identify Quick Language Learners?

June 30, 2016 — Ever wonder why some people seem to learn new languages faster? The secret might lie in the brain activity they generate while ... read more

Watching the Brain During Language Learning

June 29, 2016 — For the first time, researchers have captured images of the brain during the initial hours and days of learning a new language. They use an artificial language with real structures to show how new ... read more

Sign Languages Provide Insight Into Universal Linguistic Short-Cuts

June 27, 2016 — Humans have a natural drive to reduce physical effort in nearly every activity, including using language. The ways that effort-reduction affect human language have been the subject of extensive ... read more

Want to Learn a New Language? Get a Partner and Play This Video Game

June 27, 2016 — Using a language-learning game called 'Crystallize,' created by computer science faculty and students, researchers found that when players are required to work together they learn more ... read more

The Sound of Music: How the Songbird Learns Its Melody

June 21, 2016 — In zebra finches, only males learn and sing songs, as this is the way they attract a mate. Therefore, learning a complex song to attract the lady zebra finches is crucial for reproduction. The ... read more

Scientists Detect Gray Matter Changes in Brains of Teenagers With Type 2 Diabetes

June 14, 2016 — Teenagers with type 2 diabetes have significant changes in total brain gray matter volume and in regions of gray matter involved in seeing and hearing, memory, emotions, speech, decision making, and ... read more

Success in Second Language Learning Linked to Genetic and Brain Measures

June 13, 2016 — A new study shows that the final grades that college students received in a second-language class were predicted by a combination of genetic and brain ... read more

'Now-or-Never Bottleneck' Explains Language Acquisition

June 10, 2016 — We are constantly bombarded with linguistic input, but our brains are unable to remember long strings of linguistic information. How does the brain make sense of this ongoing deluge of ... read more

In the Brain, One Area Sees Familiar Words as Pictures, Another Sounds out Words

June 9, 2016 — Skilled readers can quickly recognize words when they read because the word has been placed in a visual dictionary of sorts which functions separately from an area that processes the sounds of ... read more

'Baby Talk' Can Help Songbirds Learn Their Tunes

May 31, 2016 — Adult songbirds modify their vocalizations when singing to juveniles in the same way that humans alter their speech when talking to babies. The resulting brain activity in young birds could shed ... read more

Professor's New Study Emphasizes the Impact of Leaders' Language

May 31, 2016 — The language of leaders has a profound effect on the performance of their employees, new research shows. The research shows that how a company presents its vision and values is deeply entwined with ... read more

Baby Talk Words With Repeated Sounds Help Infants Learn Language

May 27, 2016 — Babies find it easier to learn words with repetitive syllables rather than mixed sounds, a study suggests. Assessments of language learning in 18-month-olds suggest that children are better at ... read more

Language of Women Versus Men: 'Wonderful' and 'Thankful' Versus 'Battle' and 'Enemy'

May 25, 2016 — In a computational analysis of the words used by more than 65,000 consenting Facebook users in some 10 million messages, it was discovered that women use language that is warmer and more agreeable ... read more

Friday, August 12, 2016