- A new study by researchers at Fudan University in Shanghai may have just solved the “father tongue” vs “mother tongue” conundrum.
- According to lead researcher, Menghan Zhang, there is a correlation between lexical patterns and the Y chromosome, which is passed on by the father.
- The team also hypothesised that the ability to process and pick up sounds is passed on by the mother through mitochondrial DNA.
It’s been suggested in various studies in the past, such as this study conducted by researchers at Evanston Northwestern University and Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, that there are differences between the sexes when it comes to picking up new languages, but what about passing languages on? Does one sex play a larger role in teaching children how to speak?
Most would infer from the term “mother tongue”, usually defined as the language we start speaking first, that language acquisition in children is mostly down to mothers, but that idea could soon be out the window.See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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