Would Babies Speak with an Accent?

If babies could talk, would they speak with an accent?

Researchers have noted that infants are more responsive to the sounds of their native language than to the sounds of other languages, even before they can speak.

In a study of babies whose parents spoke different first languages, it was observed that "the infants were more responsive to the sounds of their own language than to the sounds of other foreign languages—even before they were able to speak themselves (...); babies as young as one year acquire the specific accented sounds of their parents and (that) the first year of listening makes a lasting impact on the way we speak for our entire lives."

Read more at http://hotword.dictionary.com/baby-accents/#FyeXxhozK8358i8q.99



Is it easy to "lose" an accent?

Do you think accents are irritating or interesting?