Waaah (Eng), Ouain (Fr), Wäh (Ger): Even Babies’ Cries Have Accents

In an analysis of the cries of 60 newborns, half from German-speaking families and half from francophones, researchers found that “cry melodies were distinctive and different. The French newborns tended to cry with a rising melody contour, while the German tots wailed with a ‘falling’ tone, a signature feature in each language.”