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January 24, 2014
Q. In what sense do we actually study our native tongue before we're born?
A. By the sixth month after conception, microphone readings taken inside the uterus reveal that the fetus is responsive to sound and is exposed to the sound of its mother's muffled voice, says David G. Myers in “Exploring Psychology: Ninth Edition.” All of us begin by hearing our culture's native language, the sounds of which get transmitted by vibration through Mom's body and to the developing embryo. Even as newborns, we turn our heads in the direction of the human voice, preferring Mom's voice to another woman's or to Dad's. Understandably, we also prefer hearing our mother's language.
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