At what age can infants discriminate between syllables like "baw" and "gah"?

Infants typically begin to show the ability to discriminate between different syllables, such as "baw" and "gah," around the age of 20 weeks. This developmental milestone relates to their emerging capacity for language and auditory processing. By this age, babies have developed the necessary cognitive and auditory skills to distinguish between varying sounds and syllable structures, which is critical for their future language acquisition.

Prior to this age, infants may not have developed the auditory discrimination abilities required to differentiate between such sounds effectively. They generally respond to more general sounds and tones rather than the nuanced distinctions found in syllables. As they approach the 20-week mark, their auditory system matures, and they exhibit a growing awareness of phonetic contrasts, helping them to recognize patterns in speech that are foundational for learning language.