No, not really. According to babycenter.com (one of my favorite sites for all things baby) at 4-6 months, "your child will start to babble, combining consonants and vowels (such as "baba" or "yaya"). The first "mama" or "dada" might slip out now and then. Though it's sure to melt your heart, your baby doesn't equate those words with you quite yet. That comes later, when he's almost a year old."
Naturally, as a language teacher, I am fascinated by the process of language learning and am loving every minute of watching Drew learn the intricacies of communication.
Here are some super interesting facts about language learning that I learned either in school or through my years as a language teacher.... these are all just as I remember them and I do not have the actual facts and/or studies in front of me, so don't quote me!
- Mothers in just about every culture speak to their children in "motherese," where they speak slowly and use a sing-songy voice with lots of inflection and facial expression.
- Babies of deaf parents actually "babble" in sign language, making hand gestures uncommon for their age and that imitate signs.
- Children who grow up in bilingual households often go through a period of what may seem to be slower language acquisition, but quickly surpass their peers in size of vocabulary in BOTH languages.
- Studies that videotaped baby girls and boys showed that baby girls not only babbled more but also moved their mouths, as if practicing speaking. Toddler girls also talked to each other more often when playing (pretending to talk on the phone, playing house, etc.) where boys were happy to play side by side without speaking.
