Native language shapes the melody of a newborn baby's cry

Not Exactly Rocket Science
By Ed Yong
Nov 5, 2009 11:00 PMNov 5, 2019 12:14 AM

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Telling the difference between a German and French speaker isn't difficult. But you may be more surprised to know that you could have a good stab at distinguishing between German and French babies based on their cries. The bawls of French newborns tend to have a rising melody, with higher frequencies becoming more prominent as the cry progresses. German newborns tend to cry with a falling melody.

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