Girls speak earlier -- and now we know why (2024)

By Tanya Lewis

LiveScience

Studies show that girls tend to speak earlier and use more complex language than boys do. The discrepancy may arise from different levels of a protein in the brain, a new study in rats suggests.

Scientists have long debated the extent and origin ofgender differences in language. A protein called Foxp2 has been shown to play a critical role in speech and language development in humans, as well as oral communication in birds and other mammals. In rats, the baby males are more vocal than females, and the males have higher levels of Foxp2, researchers report in Wednesday's issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

"This study is one of the first to report asex difference in the expression of a language-associated protein in humans or animals," study co-author Margaret McCarthy ofthe University of Maryland School of Medicine said in a statement. "The findings raise the possibility that sex differences in brain and behavior are more pervasive and established earlier than previously appreciated."

McCarthy and colleagues measured the amount of Foxp2 in the brains of 4-day-old male and female rats, and compared it with the ultrasonic distress calls the rodents made when removed from their nest.

The male rat pups made more noise when separated from their mother and siblings than females did. The males made nearly twice as many calls over the five minutes spent apart from mom, who preferentially came and retrieved them. The males also had more of the Foxp2 protein in brain areas linked to vocalization, cognition and emotion, the researchers found.

Next, the scientists suppressed the levels of Foxp2 in the males and boosted the levels in the females. Now the female pups made more distress calls than the males, and mama rat also prioritized bringing the females back to nest.

McCarthy's team also ran a preliminary study in a small group of children. Unlike in the rats, human girls had higher levels of Foxp2 in the cortex, the brain's outermost layer, compared with boys. The results help explain findings that girls exceed boys in language development — and why the opposite is true in rats.

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Girls speak earlier --  and now we know why (2024)

FAQs

Girls speak earlier -- and now we know why? ›

Scientists are studying a gene called FOXP2 which they have discovered to be an essential part of speech and language development. There have been many studies, on both animals and humans, that have confirmed that the “Language Gene” FOXP2 is found in higher levels in females.

Why do girls learn to talk earlier than boys? ›

McCarthy's team also ran a preliminary study in a small group of children. Unlike in the rats, human girls had higher levels of Foxp2 in the cortex, the brain's outermost layer, compared with boys. The results help explain findings that girls exceed boys in language development — and why the opposite is true in rats.

Do girls typically talk before boys? ›

Research has shown that girls say their first words and first sentences at a younger age than boys. They also have larger vocabularies in their early communications than boys do. So it is true that boys tend to start talking later than girls.

What age do girls learn to talk? ›

Generally, children begin to babble from around the age of six months and say their first words between ten and 15 months (most start speaking at about 12 months). They then begin to pick up increasing numbers of words and start to combine them into simple sentences after around 18 months.

Do girls develop social skills faster than boys? ›

He explains that girls were rated moderately higher in social skills from kindergarten to sixth grade, and boys generally exhibited more variability in social skills over time.

Does early talking mean higher intelligence? ›

Does an early and continued high ability for using words indicate high intelligence? At the very least, it indicates high verbal intelligence, and when people are allowed to use and develop their strengths, they are very smart indeed.

Why do girls like boys who talk less? ›

Because there is something secretive about their personality that ladies would love to find out and explore. Quiet guys mostly have many beautiful hidden talents and hobbies but they are just not very social for everyone to know about their talents.

Is it true boys talk later than girls? ›

Statistics suggest that boys talk later than girls. On average, girls acquire language skills faster during the first few years of life than boys. But this difference will be just a few months. There is a normal range within which a child develops age-appropriate speech skills.

At what age do boys start to notice girls? ›

In terms of an 'average' age, it seems to be 11 for girls and 12 for boys. But don't worry about averages… who wants to be average, anyway! Furthermore, even if his body says he is ready, intellectually, his mind might not be on the same wavelength just yet.

At what age do baby boys start talking? ›

At 12 to 18 months old: Many babies start using single words. They name familiar people and objects – such as ma-ma, da-da, ball and cat. By age 2: Child says two-word phrases, such as: "Dog sit." "Mommy go." By age 3: Child has words for almost everything and speaks three-word phrases.

Do boys learn to talk slower than girls? ›

Statistics Warn Us That Boys are Usually Slower to Talk.

For instance, girls at 16 months of age will produce up to 100 words, while boys struggle at around 30 words.

What age is girl talk aimed at? ›

Immediate Media Company publishes the magazine, which is nationally distributed. The target audience are girls from the ages of 7 to 12.

What are the most common first words? ›

Words learned early in one language tend to be learned early in other languages. In American English, the 10 most frequent first words, in order, are mommy, daddy, ball, bye, hi, no, dog, baby, woof woof, and banana. In Hebrew, they are mommy, yum yum, grandma, vroom, grandpa, daddy, banana, this, bye, and car.

Who ages faster boys or girls? ›

Collagen: Regardless of age, men have a higher density of collagen within their skin than women. This is why women appear to age faster than men of the same age. It's even been said that women are visually about 15 years older than men of the same age in terms of collagen maintenance.

Why do girls mature early? ›

Girls physically mature faster than boys on a physical level as well due to the quicker process of puberty. Girls undergo puberty earlier than boys by about 1-2 years, and generally finish the stages of puberty quicker than males due to their differences in biology.

Why do girls talk first? ›

In general, boys are more likely to develop a speech or language delay than girls. Research in Britain shows that on average, females have a significantly larger vocabulary, they acquire skills and words more quickly and they also are ahead of males in their gesturing skills.

Why do boys take longer to talk than girls? ›

Studies have shown that language development varies between the sexes, with males generally gaining language skills at a slower rate. Prenatal testosterone is known to influence fetal neurodevelopment, and preliminary studies have suggested that the hormone is associated with language delay.

Do boys learn to talk faster than girls? ›

During the first years of life, girls on average acquire language faster than boys and have larger vocabulary. For example, at 16 months, girls have a vocabulary of 95 words, while boys have a vocabulary of 25 words (21,22).

Do girls learn to read earlier than boys? ›

Smith and Jeffrey D. Wilhelm in Reading Don't Fix No Chevys: Literacy. in the Lives of Young Men (Heinemann, 2002), research on gender and literacy provides some interesting insights: Boys take longer to learn to read than girls do.

Why girls don t talk to boys first? ›

To be frank , girls love to speak with guys… we have too many questions that we are curious about.. It's just that we don't want to be misunderstood by boys.. we r just careful about it .. once you get close enough, it's for sure that girls are gonna initiate and speak more than you..

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