accents

The way humans learn language in early childhood is a fascinating thing. You don't have to directly teach a baby how to talk—they learn through immersion and observation, deriving meaning through repetition, context, facial expressions and body language.

Learning to talk isn't just learning how to form sounds into words. It's also learning how to communicate within a social structure, which starts with the family and community. Even two people who speak the same language will have differences in how they communicate, from slang to hand gestures to accent, based on where and with whom they live.

And nowhere is that more apparent than in a viral video of a Liverpool mom having a "conversation" with her baby.

The video shows a woman lying on a bed, chatting with a baby who doesn't want to go to sleep. Their back-and-forth includes the woman explaining that the baby has had a bottle and a diaper change and is now supposed to go to sleep, while the baby argues back in 99% gibberish—but with a clear Scouse accent (the British accent associated with Liverpool, England).

Watch the video from @iamcustardpot on TikTok:

People were surprised and delighted at how well you could hear the accent come through even though the baby was just babbling.

"A baby scouse accent is killing me😭😭"

"Gibberish in a Scouse accent is my new favourite 🥰😂"

"bro mastered the scouse accent but no words 👏😂"

"This is the most adorable Scouse accent ever 😭😂"

"Scouse accent with no actual words is elite."

"The scouse accent is more important than words.😂"

"For anyone wondering about why she’s got a scouse accent, babies mimic intonation and sounds before they learn words 😁"

That last commenter is right. As child development expert Dan Wuori explained in a post on X, this video is a perfect example of how elements of a baby's language develops long before they are able to form coherent words.

"Do babies develop accents even before they can speak conventionally? The short answer is yes… and these linguistic markers begin even sooner than you might think," wrote Wuori. "Other than “no” he doesn’t speak a single conventional word, but listen to how the rhythm and intonation of his vocalizations mirror those to which he is exposed daily. As hearing becomes functional during the third trimester, infants are exposed to the distinct patterns of their mothers’ native language—with studies suggesting newborns can already distinguish (and prefer) what will become their native tongue only hours after birth."

Wuori explained that such learning is evidenced even before the babbling stage.

"Research suggests that even the cries of newborns reflect this preference. That’s right: babies cry with an accent. One major study on the topic showed that French babies cry with a rising intonation, while German infants favor a falling melody—both reflecting the patterns of their native languages. We’re only just beginning to understand the deep learning that begins in utero. It’s just more evidence that the period from prenatal to three is the most critical window in all of human development."

By the way, the baby's name is Orla and the woman in the video, Layka, is not Orla's mom but she looks after her sometimes. After the video went viral, Orla got her own TikTok page so people can enjoy hearing her little Scouse babbles and watch her language development as it explodes into real words and sentences. You can follow Orlasworld on TikTok and see more of her chatting with Aunty Layka here: