Infants begin learning features of their native language before birth, and newborns show preference for the language they heard in the womb.

the verdict

INSUFFICIENT LEANING

Recorded sources

7 sources for · 0 against

Counts group repeated records of the same source within each side. They do not measure evidence strength or source independence.

Is it true that infants begin learning features of their native language before birth, and newborns show preference for the language they heard in the womb?

Unclear. Several peer-reviewed items indicate infants learn features of their native language very early, and one review states humans begin tuning in to native-language prosody even before birth. However, none of the retrieved items directly tests or reports newborns' preference for the language heard in the womb, so the evidence covers only part of the claim.

Verdict: PARTIAL LEAN · 7 sources for, 0 against · Last checked 2 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Evidence for · 7

At 6–9 months, human infants know the meanings of many common nouns

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At 6–9 months, human infants know the meanings of many common nouns. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1113380109

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More for · 6

Human newborns show a ‘‘perceptual magnet effect’’ for native language and non-native language prototypes

1992

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Walton, G. & Socotch, T. (1992). Human newborns show a ‘‘perceptual magnet effect’’ for native language and non-native language prototypes. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.405107

Newborns' brains Detect Foreign Rhythm in Native-language Speech.

2026

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M, D., N, K., J, U., A, G., & K, C. (2026). Newborns' brains Detect Foreign Rhythm in Native-language Speech.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.70254

Are Nouns Learned Before Verbs? Infants Provide Insight Into a Long-Standing Debate

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Are Nouns Learned Before Verbs? Infants Provide Insight Into a Long-Standing Debate. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12032

Behavioral and Imaging Studies of Infant Artificial Grammar Learning

2025

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Judit, G., Irene, d. l. C., & LouAnn, G. (2025). Behavioral and Imaging Studies of Infant Artificial Grammar Learning. zenodo.org. https://doi.org/10.1111/tops.12400

Discovering Words in Fluent Speech: The Contribution of Two Kinds of Statistical Information

2013

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Thiessen, E. D. & Erickson, L. C. (2013). Discovering Words in Fluent Speech: The Contribution of Two Kinds of Statistical Information. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00590

乳幼児における韻律の知覚と産出の発達( 日本語アクセントの獲得・習得研究)

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乳幼児における韻律の知覚と産出の発達( 日本語アクセントの獲得・習得研究). (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.24467/onseikenkyu.11.3_48

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