Ah, the thrilling sound of baby’s first words!

When my daughter was a baby, the usual “mama” and “dada” was quickly followed by a third “momo” (sometimes just “mo”). Katie clearly meant the word to mean her older brother. But his name was Ben. What was going on? Where did “mo” come from? And why did toddler Ben, upon his sister’s birth, choose to call her “kiki”? New research may answer these questions.

About the study
A research team led by Dr. Judit Gervain conducted two experiments, each with twenty-two healthy, full-term neonates (from 1-6 days of age) born to Italian-speaking families. Both studies were conducted in a dimly-lit, sound-attenuated booth in the hospital. Infants were lying in their cribs throughout the testing session, in a state of quiet rest or sleep. Sound stimuli were played through loudspeakers near the crib, brain images were taken, and infants were videotaped during the study.

In experiment 1, the researchers played “sentences” of made-up words formed by applying several grammar rules. Infants heard sequences composed of immediate repetitions (ex., “mubaba,” “penana”), intermixed with random, non-repeating phrases (ex., “penaku,” “mubage”).

In experiment 2, they played sequences of made-up words in which the repeated syllables were not sequential (ex., “bamuba,” “napena”), intermixed with the same random, non-repeating phrases (ex., “penaku,” “mubage”).

Findings
In experiment 1, the researchers found that infants’ brain scans showed increased response to the repetitive sequences when compared to the non-repeating sequences. This indicates that the infants recognized differences between these two types of phrases.

In experiment 2, they found no difference in the infants’ brain wave response to the non-sequential repeated syllables and the random phrases. This indicates that infants are sensitive to particular arrangements of language. In short, it reinforced that babies like to hear sounds repeated and are indifferent to them if they are not repeated, even if they occur in a short period of time.

What it all means
So which comes first? Do we coax babies to “say ‘mama’” because the infants respond to the repetitive syllables? Or have societies chosen to use babies’ first, repetitive sounds (ex., “mama,” “papa,” “dada,” “nana”) for their primary caregivers?

I don’t know. This research can’t tell us that. But it can tell us that my children—and yours—seem to be naturally drawn to repetitive sounds. So, Katie becoming “Kiki” is not unusual at all. And if you want to hear the sweet sound of your own name coming from your baby’s lips, then, Mother, you might be better off accepting “Mama.” Grandma, you might rather go by “Nana.” Grandpa, try for “Papa.” And Daddy, doesn’t “dada” just make you melt?