Womb Language Classes

University of Washington researchers are reporting that newborn babies are able to distinguish between their native language and some other babble coming their way. 

Apparently babies are listening while in the womb and they know the familiar from the "What? What? What are they saying??" 

Not a surprise. Hearing is a sense that develops early (and is the last to go when we die). The study reports that by 30 weeks of gestational age babies have the sensory mechanisms (read inner ear function) and brain wiring to make sense of sounds. Who knows how they know this, but they do.

For humans, language is also the thing we listen to most. Sure, we take in body language and the visual  as well, but really our world is formed by words. 

But babies in utero must also be taking in other parts of their culture that are delivered by sound. For American babies, that would be cars starting, coffee grinding, and credit cards swished through a machine. 

Ah, the cultural brain washing starts early.