Dunstan Baby Language is a theory about infantile vocal reflexes as signals, in humans. The theory is that across cultures and linguistic groups there are five sounds, each with a meaning, that are used by

infants An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...

before the

language acquisition Language acquisition is the process by which humans acquire the capacity to perceive and comprehend language (in other words, gain the ability to be aware of language and to understand it), as well as to produce and use words and sentences to ...

period. The hypothesis was developed by Australian former

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

, Priscilla Dunstan, and has been featured on ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...

''. Dunstan's theory has not been scientifically validated.

Dunstan's theory

Between 0–3 months, infants make what Dunstan calls ''sound reflexes''. According to Dunstan, we all have reflexes, like sneezes, hiccups, and burps, that all have a recognizable pattern when sound is added to the reflex. There are other reflexes that all babies experience, and when sound is added to these, a distinct, preemptive "cry" will occur before the infant breaks into what Dunstan calls the hysterical

cry Crying is the dropping of tears (or welling of tears in the eyes) in response to an emotional state, or pain. Emotions that can lead to crying include sadness, anger, and even happiness. The act of crying has been defined as "a complex secreto ...

. Dunstan states that these preemptive cries can indicate what the infant requires (e.g., ''food'', ''comfort'', ''sleep'', etc.), and they escalate to the hysterical cry if they are not answered. As the infant matures past 3 months in vocalization, the sound reflexes become replaced with more elaborate babbling.

Words (sound reflexes)

According to Dunstan, the five universal words (or ''sound reflexes'') used by infants are: * Neh (I am hungry) – An infant uses the sound reflex "''Neh''" to communicate its hunger. The sound is produced when the sucking reflex is triggered, and the tongue is pushed up on the roof of the mouth. * Owh (I'm sleepy) – An infant uses the sound reflex "''Owh''" to communicate that they are tired. The sound is produced much like an audible yawn. * Heh (I'm experiencing discomfort) – An infant uses the sound reflex "''Heh''" to communicate stress, discomfort, or perhaps that it needs a fresh diaper. The sound is produced by a response to a skin reflex, such as feeling sweat or itchiness in the bum. * Eairh (I have lower gas) – An infant uses the sound reflex "''Eairh''" to communicate they have

flatulence Flatulence, in humans, is the expulsion of gas from the intestines via the anus, commonly referred to as farting. "Flatus" is the medical word for gas generated in the stomach or bowels. A proportion of intestinal gas may be swallowed environm ...

or an upset stomach. The sound is produced when trapped air from a belch is unable to release and travels to the stomach where the muscles of the intestines tighten to force the air bubble out. Often, this sound will indicate that a bowel movement is in progress, and the infant will bend its knees, bringing the legs toward the torso. This leg movement assists in the ongoing process. * Eh (I need to be burped) – An infant uses the sound reflex "''Eh''" to communicate that it needs to be burped. The sound is produced when a large bubble of trapped air is caught in the chest, and the reflex is trying to release this out of the mouth. Dunstan states that she has a photographic memory for sounds and that this, combined with her years in the

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

and her experience as a mother, allowed her to recognize certain sounds in the human voice. A

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

set called ''The Dunstan Baby Language'' was released by Dunstan in November 2006. The two-disc set covered the five universal words of the language, methods of learning how to recognize the vocalizations and sounds, numerous examples of baby cries from around the world to "tune your ear," and live demonstrations of newborn mother groups experimenting with the language.

Criticism

Linguistics experts point out that Dunstan's hypothesis has not been subjected to rigorous testing or academic scrutiny. The Dunstan company had, at one time, developed a

clinical trial Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dietar ...

plan with

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

researchers to test its claims, but abandoned it for consumer surveys and small-group observations in order "to hasten the development of a system that could be used by parents," skipping rigorous testing to go straight to market."Dare I Trust My Intuition?"
Mary Carmichael, ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

'', 31 January 2009

References

{{reflist

External links

Dunstan Baby Language Website

Dunstan Baby Language Website – French Version

Dunstan Baby Language on Oprah.com

Baby Language Information
;Video links
Dunstan Baby Language

Dunstan Baby Language on CTV News
Language acquisition Infancy Child development Pseudoscience Pseudolinguistics

Dunstan's theory

Words (sound reflexes)

Criticism

See also

References

External links