Are Adopted Foreign Babies More Proficient In Their Birth Language?

A recent research showed that babies have good memories and are capable of remembering their birth language even if they move to another country. They may seem to have forgotten their birth language but they have a hidden ability to remember this after retraining.

This was the findings of a study conducted by researchers from the Seoul's Hanyang University. The study showed adopted children who are from other countries have an advantage in remembering their birth language even after decades.

"This finding indicates that useful language knowledge is laid down in [the] very early months of life, which can be retained without further input of the language and revealed via re-learning,'' research leader Dr. Jiyoun Choi of Hanyang University said.

This was shown in the case of South Korean babies who were adopted and now speak Dutch, according to BBC. After undergoing a short training course in their birth language, the adopted babies, who are now 30-year-old adults, showed much promise in Korean pronunciation. Surprisingly, the Korean consonants were not similar to the Dutch consonants.

Jiyoun said parents should remember the process of learning a language occurs early in life, as per Daily Mail. The more parents talk to their babies, the more they are able to absorb and understand what they are saying. Babies easily recognize their mother's voice because they heard it when they were still in the womb.

Meanwhile, a study also showed children who have poor performance in language tests are those with parents who do not often speak to them, according to The Guardian. To boost the child's brain power, parents are urged to read stories to their kids during bedtime. This will give them a head start not only in language processing but also in school later on. It will also give them a solid foundation and grasp when it comes to difficult concepts in school and in life.