Hannah has noticed something unusual about how her 2-year-old twin sons Henry and Albert interact.
'If they鈥檙e sat playing, one of them will seem to say something that we don鈥檛 understand, but the other will hand them a toy as if they鈥檝e just said 鈥榩ass me that鈥欌.
Danielle has spotted something similar with Aria and Isaac aged 20 months. 鈥榃hen they鈥檙e playing together you鈥檒l hear them [babbling on], it鈥檚 like they鈥檙e having a conversation with each other but you can鈥檛 understand any of the words they鈥檙e saying.鈥
鈥榃hen I think about it, it is like they鈥檙e speaking their own language.鈥
If they鈥檙e sat playing, one of them will seem to say something that we don鈥檛 understand, but the other will hand them a toy like they鈥檝e just said 鈥榩ass me that鈥.
Twin languages
Both families are based in Greater Manchester, and you might think there's something in the water, but it turns out that what the two mums have experienced is not as unusual as it sounds.
Some studies suggest that as many as half of twin pairs might develop what sounds like their own language, one which is foreign to their parents, but which they seem to both speak and understand together. For an example of an apparent 鈥榯win language鈥 in action, take a look that went viral back in 2011.
Watching twin babies interact, it鈥檚 easy to jump to the conclusion that they鈥檝e miraculously invented a language all of their own. As Danielle says, 鈥榠t鈥檚 the expression they put into it 鈥 their tone goes up and down like you and me speaking, and it鈥檚 back and forth like a proper conversation鈥.
鈥heir tone goes up and down like you and me speaking, and it鈥檚 back and forth like a proper conversation.
What's going on?
To understand what's really going on, we need to look more closely at the ways twins learn language in their early years.
As with all babies, twins start by trying to copy the sounds of the languages that their parents use, but not quite getting it right. This is what Professor Dorothy Bishop from the University of Oxford calls 'immature speech sounds'.
And given how close they are in age, twins spend a lot of time together. As Danielle tells us, Aria and Isaac spend hours playing, without needing much prompting from their mum and dad.
This means that once twins start exploring what sounds they can make, they're hearing a lot of one another's immature speech sounds.
Hearing each other make the same sounds over and over again, they might start to pick up a bit of meaning from them. This reinforces these wrong sounds, so they'll carry on using them with one another. This is what makes it sound like they're using a different language.
So, this means that twin languages are usually just a form of the twins' parents鈥 languages after all.
Moving on
Eventually, twins need to start making the right sounds for objects in order for other people around them, like their parents and other family members, to understand. This is why twin languages usually get phased out pretty quickly, usually entirely by the time they go to school.
Aria is already showing signs of moving on 鈥 while she will babble away with her brother in twin speak, she uses real words like 鈥榙oggy鈥 when speaking to her parents.
Language delay in twins
While listening to twin toddlers speaking their alien languages can be very cute, it can also be one of a number of reasons twins take longer to learn languages, as they get used to copying each other.
According to the , twins are often about 6 months behind other children when it comes to speech development.
Other factors that can have an impact include:
parents dividing their attention between the two
the lack of eye contact they get as parents look from one to the other
competition between them in order to be heard
one twin speaking for the other
What can parents do?
This isn鈥檛 cause to panic. According to , twins with language delays usually catch up.
Hannah says they have all sorts of ways of making things work for them as a family. 鈥業nitially we were worried, but we鈥檙e able to meet the boys鈥 needs, whether they point at things, gesture, or make different sounds鈥.
If you鈥檙e a parent of twins, the NHS recommends a number of ways you can help to avoid or reduce language delays:
make the most of one-on-one time, talking through individual nappy changes and bath times
turn the telly off for at least 30 minutes a day so babies can concentrate on your voice
pay attention to sounds each baby makes and respond to them
make time for one-to-one play with each twin, face-to-face and using their names
encourage other family members to talk and play with twins individually too
Although most twins do catch up with their language learning, it's best to seek advice if language problems are ongoing, particularly when they reach the age of 4 years old. If you are a parents of twins and you are concerned that they might be falling behind with their language learning, speak to your health visitor, who may refer you to a speech and language therapist.
For more information about raising twins, check out .
Article produced with help from Professor Dorothy Bishop, Department of Experimental Psychology, The University of Oxford.
