National Geographic – Simon Worrall
“Try saying pediatric otolaryngologist. Not easy, right? According to Dana Suskind, who holds that title at the University of Chicago, our exposure to rich language in the first three years of our lives is critical not just for our ability to pronounce long words but for our overall development and success. Sadly, Suskind’s new book, Thirty Million Words: Building a Child’s Brain, also shows that our achievements are largely determined by the economic and social environment into which we’re born. Put bluntly: A child born in low-income Compton, California, is likely to have heard 30 million fewer words in the first three years of life than one born in affluent Greenwich, Connecticut. Talking from her home in Chicago, Suskind describes how the “Thirty Million Word” initiative is trying to close that achievement gap; why Mark Zuckerberg’s attempt to learn Chinese shows the importance of being exposed to language in infancy; and how the three Ts—Tune in, Talk more, and Take turns—can help solve the world’s problems.”(more)