The languages of the world tend to accommodate to the abilities of infants and children in terms of the types of sounds used to represent particular meanings

Jakobson (1981) uncovered one such pattern in the sounds used by the world's languages to represent "mother" and "father." Describe the pattern uncovered by Jakobson, and discuss how Jakobson interpreted the pattern.

What will be an ideal response?


Jakobson (1981) examined the sounds used in the world's languages to represent mother and father. He found that m and n are commonly used to represent mother, but not father. He suggested that the difference was due, at least in part, to the ease with which the phonemes m and n can be produced relative to other phonemes in particular conditions. That is, m and n are the only phonemes that can be produced when an infant is nursing. Therefore, it is convenient for infants to use those sounds when referring to the person who nurses them.

Psychology

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