Contrast objects help to learn sounds

This week, I stumbled upon the website of the Psychology Department at the University of British Columbia. Their infant studies provide some amazing information about bilingual babies, as well as about language acquisition in general. Their research is fascinating. Today, I just wanted to talk about one particular discovery - how babies acquire sounds, specifically those sounds that are similar, but different.

What language does he babble in?

That's a good question! According to Barbara Zurer Pearson, Ph. D., "there is no reflex to say 'gooh'" ("Raising a bilingual child", Living Language, 2008). So, that means that every time Sasha is babbling he is trying to say something or, at least, practicing the sounds he heard. With my linguistic mind in action, I can imagine that, if he is practicing the sounds he heard from us, he should have a nice stew of English and Russian.