Transcript
Tap a time to jump · select words to save
Hello. This is 6 Minute English
from BBC Learning English.
I'm Neil. And I'm Beth.
As an adult,
when I need to tell somebody something,
I just open my mouth and speak.
Neil, I'm hungry!
Ah, you'd better get something
to eat then.
And when I want something,
it's the same, I just ask.
Um, can you pass me that pen,
please? Beth?
Yep. There you go.
So that's now,
but as babies,
we're not able to speak.
We can only communicate
with our bodies
or by crying.
We can't clothe, feed,
or wash ourselves.
We rely on others
totally for our survival.
We've all been one.
But how do newborn babies tell mum
and dad what's going on
before they can speak?
That's what we'll be investigating
in this episode, along
with some useful new vocabulary, all
of which you can find on our website.
bbclearningenglish.com. Baby communication is
a topic child psychotherapist
Marie Derome writes about in her new
book, What Your Baby Wants You to Know.
So, what do newborn babies want
us to know?
Well, here's Marie's answer.
I think they want us to know
that they need us 100%,
because without us,
they won't survive.
Without someone caring for them,
babies wouldn't survive.
So on a basic level, every baby
is saying, take care of me.
Marie says babies need us 100%.
She uses the phrase 100% to emphasise
that what she said is completely true.
And we'll hear more soon.
But first,
I have a question for you, Neil.
Although they look small
and helpless,
babies are born
with some amazing abilities.
So which of the following statements
about newborn babies is true?
A. Babies are born
with a full set of teeth,
B. Baby's eyes change
colour, or
C. Babies have the same number of bones
as an adult.
Oh, that's an interesting question.
I think I know the answer though.
I'm going to go with B.
Baby's eyes change color.
OK. Well, we'll find out if that's
right at the end of the programme.
Now if you've spent time
with a baby,
you've probably noticed how much
they move their little arms and legs.
Here, Marie Jerome explains
the meaning of these movements
to BBC Radio 4
programme, Woman's Hour.
75% of their movements
are intentional, synchronised.
They're not jerky, you know,
to the naked eye,
they appear very jerky,
but they're not.
They're there to bring us in.
The parents,
you know, they need us to they,
all those movements are there to say,
look, come, look at me, I need you,
I want to, you know,
to play with you.
Babies move their arms and legs
to create a bond with their parents.
To the naked eye,
these movements look jerky,
an adjective meaning sudden
and quick,
not smooth-flowing.
The phrase to the naked eye
means in a way that can be seen
without special instruments,
like a microscope,
or is seen
in the way an ordinary person would.
In reality, these jerky movements
are intentional,
meaning that they're planned
and done for a particular purpose
to catch their parent's attention so
they will be noticed and cared for.
Marie's book is aimed at new parents
who are learning to understand
their baby's body language,
but she also has advice
for parents who are finding it
difficult to bond with their newborn,
as she explains here to BBC
Radio 4 programme, Woman's Hour.
Parenting is really hard.
Falling in love with this little baby
is not, you know,
this idea that love at first sight.
I think it's such an
unhelpful cliche.
It will take time to love that baby,
to get to know that baby.
Many new parents dream about falling
in love with their baby at first sight.
The idiom love at first sight means
being in love
with someone as soon as you see them
for the first time.
But Marie thinks
this ideal dream can cause problems.
She calls it an unhelpful cliche.
A cliche is an overused phrase
or comment
that has been said so much that it's
become unoriginal and uninteresting,
and in some cases unhelpful.
For example,
by creating unrealistic expectations
or by making parents feel guilty
they're not doing enough.
Marie says it takes time to get to know
a newborn baby and to fall in love.
But for most parents, all the
misunderstandings, sleepless nights
and dirty nappies are worth it
for their amazing baby.
And speaking of amazing babies,
what was the correct answer
to your question, Beth?
Well, the correct statement was
that baby's eyes changed colour.
I think you got that right,
Neil. I did!
It's an amazing fact,
but apparently true.
Yes, indeed. OK, so let's recap the
vocabulary we've learnt in this episode,
starting with the phrase 100%,
which can be used to emphasise that
you completely agree with something,
or that you consider something to be
completely right or wrong.
If you describe a movement as jerky,
you mean it moves suddenly and stops
and starts, rather than flowing smoothly.
The adjective intentional means
planned and purposeful.
The phrase to the naked eye
means in a way that can be seen
without special instruments, or
to someone without special knowledge.
The idiom love at first sight
describes the experience
of starting to love someone as soon
as you see them for the first time.
And finally, an unhelpful cliche is
an overused phrase or comment, a cliche,
which has the effect of creating
unhelpful or unrealistic attitudes.
Once again, our six minutes are up,
but remember,
you can find many more episodes,
plus a quiz and worksheet for this one
on our website, bbclearningenglish.com
Goodbye for now.
Goodbye!
Vocabulary
Word 1 of 15rely on
phrase
0:43
"to depend on someone or something for help."
More Listening Practice
About this lesson
Find out how babies express themselves before they can speak and what parents can do to understand them in this 6 Minute English episode.