The sounds only children can hear

Linguist Mikael Parkvall explores the fascinating human capacity for sound perception, highlighting that our ability to discern and process new sounds is at its peak during infancy. While this acute sensitivity diminishes as we age, Parkvall suggests this decline is not without its benefits, aiding us in other ways as we develop.

The article delves into a long-standing debate within linguistics: the question of whether human language ability is primarily innate or acquired through learning. Parkvall focuses on phonology, the study of sound systems in language, suggesting that humans may possess innate knowledge in this area.

While no one disputes that individuals are not born speaking specific languages like Malay or Apache, the discussion often centers on whether we are biologically pre-programmed to acquire a mother tongue in a fundamentally different way than learning calculus or playing the bagpipes. Parkvall's perspective leans towards an innate component in our sound-learning capabilities.