What Will My Baby’s First Word Be? “Dad” Or “mom”?
One of the most coveted moments by parents is when, finally, their baby says his first word. We wonder what it will be, but, in reality, even if we teach it to say “dad” too, we want it to be “mom”. There are many words that the baby can understand from birth, or of which, at least, he knows the sound, just as he knows the sounds that make up the mother’s language.
It is very likely that your baby’s first word is “dad” or “mom”, because that’s what we usually teach him to repeat. It is also possible, however, that it ends up being any other word that has to do with his diet, or the name of the people around him or some word he hears frequently. Sometimes, it can happen that we repeat the name of a pet or another child in the house.
However, from the linguistic point of view, there are words that are simpler than others to pronounce by the organs that intervene in the production of language. It is likely that the child can repeat only that word that his organism is willing to reproduce. Others, on the other hand, will cost him a great deal of effort, or will not be pronounced correctly. This will have a great influence on your child’s first word.
“Dad” is more common, as the baby’s first word
Who knows: we might realize with surprise, and perhaps with a little jealousy, that his first word is “dad”. Which may even seem unfair, if we take into account everything we’ve done for him. In reality, however, it is not his fault. Between the words “dad” and “mom”, the first is a little easier to reproduce than the second, by our body.
Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies the sounds of spoken language. In this particular case, he explains that, in order to produce elements of the phonic chain (words), it is necessary to set several organs in motion at the same time. According to what emerges from the studies, open vowels such as / a / and nasal consonants such as / m / and / n / are the most complicated for the body to pronounce.
In this sense, for a baby who is still learning to use his phonetic apparatus, the word “mamma” could be much more tiring than “papa”, whose pronunciation is believed to be one of the simplest in the Italian language. In this way, even if the child surprises you by saying “mom” perfectly, it is possible that, to do so, he or she has to make a greater effort.
Repetition of syllables is also very common in the baby’s production of sounds. For this reason, the most common words tend to follow this style: “dad”, “mom”, “nanny”, “baby food”. It is difficult for a baby to introduce more complex phonemes such as / r / or / z / into his first words. However, there is no guarantee, although it is believed that, in general, similar sounds are more likely to be produced.
What are babies talking about?
Having a baby start pronouncing its first words around six months does not necessarily mean that it has not tried it before or that it is not familiar with spoken language. Even when the child is unable to express his emotions in words, in reality his lexical structure is already forming within him.
In itself, language is an abstract element found in our brain, ready to interpret, express and analyze linguistic structures. When a baby finally decides to talk for the first time, they must have already tried to do so. Within his brain are the necessary structures that activate his phonetic production organs.
As for the meaning, babies may not understand many of the things we say in front of them. Nonetheless, they recognize its sound. We know that they quickly learn the meaning of the word “no”, and that they know what “water” means. As a result, they make their debut with words that they have heard, that are easy to pronounce, and that they know will have an effect on others.
Since they are very young, we make sure to ask them to repeat the word “mom”. For this reason, even if it is not very clear to them what it means, they know that their mother has been asking them to say it since they were born. Babies talk about things around them and use words to refer to objects they see and point to. In general, therefore, these are nouns that have a relationship with their daily life.
