Babies as young as 4 months can tell how the sounds of different languages are made

mind & bodyanalysisThe Conversation: Arts + Culture (US)

Babies as young as 4 months can tell how the sounds of different languages are made – new research

the gist

Babies as young as four months can already work out how speech sounds are physically made, long before they settle into their native language. Researchers played babies two invented mini-languages, one using lip sounds like b and v and one using tongue-tip sounds like d and z, each paired with a cartoon. When silent videos showed a face matching the learned pairing, babies looked longer, showing they had picked up the rules. This challenges the older view that such pattern learning starts only after babies tune into their native language between six and twelve months.

how it works

Babies start out able to distinguish nearly all speech sounds. Between six and twelve months, they gradually focus on the contrasts used in the language they hear most, which is why adults often struggle to hear sounds absent from their own language. The new study suggests that learning how sounds are made begins even before this narrowing.

so what

The finding suggests language learning starts with a deeper grasp of how sounds are produced than scientists assumed. It could also allow speech and language delays to be spotted and supported earlier.

The Conversation

Illustrative photo · Dinglebrob, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

source: The Conversation: Arts + Culture (US) ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗