Do babies really have accents before they can talk? We ask language experts after video of little girl 'babbling' with a Scouse accent goes viral...
and it's not the only example READ MORE: 'Alarmist' study says pandemic babies had 'stunted' brains By John Ely Deputy Health Editor For Mailonline Published: 17:13, 25 June 2024 | Updated: 18:17, 25 June 2024 e-mail 12 View comments A baby's Scouse babble recently took the Internet by storm with millions of views on TikTok , in what experts say is a 'striking' example of how our language develops. In the clip, now viewed over 17million times , the 19-month-old girl 'converses' in a distinctly Liverpudlian accent to her aunty after being told its bedtime. Posted by account @iamcustardpot and captioned 'I love our conversations', the clip sees the baby seemingly answer with a shake of the head and what sounds like "No" in a throaty Scouse intonation before continuing to babble adorably.
Experts told MailOnline the clip was unusual and showed just how much babies absorb aspects of the language spoken by those around them. Professor Caroline Floccia, an expert in developmental psychology from the University of Plymouth, told this website what we're hearing in the clip is the baby mimicking the prosody, or the melody, of the Scouse accent. @iamcustardpot Cutie patoooootie!! #scousetiktok #fyp #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp ♬ original sound - Custard Pot 'It's striking because the baby, at 19-months, is quite young but already has a qui.
