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Kenapa bayi di seluruh dunia bilang 'mama'?

Why do babies say 'mama' in almost every language?

Bunyi 'm' dan 'a' paling mudah dibuat bayi. Gabungannya muncul alami saat menyusu, lalu orang tua yang memberinya arti.

Sampul short: Why do babies say 'mama' in almost every language?

Short-nya segera tayang di YouTube @geegit

Penjelasannya

Dari bahasa Inggris sampai Mandarin, dari Rusia sampai Swahili, bayi di belahan dunia yang berbeda menyebut ibu dengan kata yang hampir sama: "mama". Bagaimana bahasa yang tidak berkerabat bisa punya kata yang sama?

Bukan karena bayi lahir dengan memahami arti ibu. Penyebabnya anatomi. Bunyi paling mudah bagi saluran suara bayi adalah "m", yang terbentuk cukup dengan merapatkan kedua bibir. Vokal paling mudah adalah "a", cukup dengan membuka mulut lebar tanpa menggerakkan lidah.

Saat menyusu, bayi bergumam lewat hidung dan menghasilkan "ma-ma-ma" ketika membuka dan menutup bibir. Bayi hanya membuat bunyi termudah yang berhubungan dengan makanan; orang tua yang bangga yang memberinya arti cinta.

Diagram dari video

Diagram GeeGit: From English to Mandarin, Russian to Swahili, babies on opposite sides of the planet say almost the same word for mother: 'Mama'.
“From English to Mandarin, Russian to Swahili, babies on opposite sides of the planet say almost the same word for mother: 'Mama'.”
Diagram GeeGit: It is not because babies are born understanding motherhood. It is pure anatomy.
“It is not because babies are born understanding motherhood. It is pure anatomy.”
Diagram GeeGit: While drinking milk, a baby naturally hums through their nose, producing 'ma-ma-ma' as they open and close their lips.
“While drinking milk, a baby naturally hums through their nose, producing 'ma-ma-ma' as they open and close their lips.”
Transkrip video (English)

From English to Mandarin, Russian to Swahili, babies on opposite sides of the planet say almost the same word for mother: 'Mama'.

How did completely unrelated languages end up with the exact same word?

It is not because babies are born understanding motherhood. It is pure anatomy.

The easiest sound a newborn vocal tract can physically make is the letter M, created by simply resting two lips together.

The easiest vowel is 'Ah', made by just opening the mouth wide without moving the tongue.

While drinking milk, a baby naturally hums through their nose, producing 'ma-ma-ma' as they open and close their lips.

The baby is just making the easiest sound for food. It was proud parents who gave it love.

Sumber

  • Roman Jakobson (1960)
  • Steven Pinker
  • Harvard

Diagram digambar ulang dan disederhanakan oleh GeeGit. Narasi video: suara AI.

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