英语听力文摘 English Digest 41、婴儿语

　　Ya?l: [In a "baby talk" cooing voice] Ready for a moment of science?
D: Sure, Ya?l, but why are you talking to me like I'm a baby?
Y: [Regular voice] Just making a point Don. Why did you think I was talking as if you were a baby?
D: Hmmm. Because of the high, cooing tone you used?
Y: You're not the only one who recognizes those features as "baby talk." Two studies, one in humans and one in rhesus monkeys, suggest that the tones mothers use to address babies are more universal than previously¹ thought.
A group of researchers recorded English-speaking mothers saying the same sentences to babies and to adults. The recordings² were then played to indigenous³ villagers in remote Ecuador.
Even though the villagers did not understand English, they could correctly identify whether the speaker was addressing a child or an adult seventy-three-percent of the time.
A different team of scientists studied the role of certain high-pitched, melodic⁴ sounds called "girneys" and grunts⁵ in wild rhesus monkeys. Even though these calls were rarely produced before the birth season, once the first infants were born, the calls were used in abundance.
When infants wandered away from their mothers, other females kept a close eye on them and called with grunts and girneys as they watched them. In response, the infants looked back at the callers. The observations suggest that these particular calls are directed at, and attractive to infants rather than to other mothers. In that way, the grunts and girneys are similar to human "baby talk."
D: So "baby talk" may be closer to animal communication than to language?
Y: There is still much to learn, but it is something to consider next time you're cooing at a baby.

1 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

2 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

3 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

4 melodic   

adj.有旋律的，调子美妙的

参考例句：

• His voice had a rich melodic quality.他的音色浑厚而优美。
• He spoke with a soft husky voice in a melodic accent.他微微沙哑的声音带着一种悠扬的口音。

5 grunts   

（猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的第三人称单数 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说； 石鲈

参考例句：

• With grunts of anguish Ogilvie eased his bulk to a sitting position. 奥格尔维苦恼地哼着，伸个懒腰坐了起来。
• Linda fired twice A trio of Grunts assembling one mortar fell. 琳达击发两次。三个正在组装迫击炮的咕噜人倒下了。