Beyond Words Ep. 15 | Before Words: Understanding Babbling with Dr. D. Kimbrough Oller

What do a baby’s coos, squeals, and growls reveal about the origins of language? In this episode of Beyond Words, Dr. D. Kimbrough Oller — a leading voice in speech and language development — joins Garrett Oyama to explore protophones, functional flexibility, and why spontaneous infant vocalizations may hold the key to understanding how language evolved.

Topics include:

• What protophones are and why they matter
• The Functional Flexibility Hypothesis
• How infant vocal play relates to evolution
• What LENA recordings reveal about early speech
• Why babies vocalize even when no one is listening

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