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Abstract
The last decade has produced an explosion in neuroscience research examining young
children's early processing of language. Noninvasive, safe functional brain measurements
have now been proven feasible for use with children starting at birth. The phonetic
level of language is especially accessible to experimental studies that document the
innate state and the effect of learning on the brain. The neural signatures of learning
at the phonetic level can be documented at a remarkably early point in development.
Continuity in linguistic development from infants' earliest brain responses to phonetic
stimuli is reflected in their language and prereading abilities in the second, third,
and fifth year of life, a finding with theoretical and clinical impact. There is evidence
that early mastery of the phonetic units of language requires learning in a social
context. Neuroscience on early language learning is beginning to reveal the multiple
brain systems that underlie the human language faculty.
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