TY - JOUR
T1 - Universality and specificity in infant-directed speech : pitch modifications as a function of infant age and sex in a tonal and non-tonal language
AU - Kitamura, Christine
AU - Thanavishuth, Chayada
AU - Burnham, Denis K.
AU - Luksaneeyanawin, Sudaporn
PY - 2001
Y1 - 2001
N2 - The aim of this study was to investigate the prosodic characteristics of infant-directed speech (IDS) to boys and girls in a tonal (Thai) and non-tonal (Australian English) language. Speech was collected from mothers speaking to infants at birth, and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months, and also to another adult. Mean-F0, pitch range, and utterance slope-F0 were extracted, and the integrity of the tonal information in Thai investigated. The age trends across the two languages differed for each of these measures but Australian English IDS was generally more exaggerated than Thai IDS. With respect to sex differences, Australian English mothers used higher mean-F0, pitch range, and more rising utterances for girls than boys, but Thai mothers used more subdued mean-F0 and more falling utterances for girls than boys. Despite variations in pitch modifications by Thai and Australian English mothers, overall IDS is more exaggerated than adult-directed speech (ADS) in both languages. Furthermore, tonal information in Thai was only slightly less identifiable in Thai IDS than Thai ADS. The universal features and language-specific differences in IDS are discussed in terms of facilitating infant socialization at younger ages, and language acquisition later in infancy.
AB - The aim of this study was to investigate the prosodic characteristics of infant-directed speech (IDS) to boys and girls in a tonal (Thai) and non-tonal (Australian English) language. Speech was collected from mothers speaking to infants at birth, and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months, and also to another adult. Mean-F0, pitch range, and utterance slope-F0 were extracted, and the integrity of the tonal information in Thai investigated. The age trends across the two languages differed for each of these measures but Australian English IDS was generally more exaggerated than Thai IDS. With respect to sex differences, Australian English mothers used higher mean-F0, pitch range, and more rising utterances for girls than boys, but Thai mothers used more subdued mean-F0 and more falling utterances for girls than boys. Despite variations in pitch modifications by Thai and Australian English mothers, overall IDS is more exaggerated than adult-directed speech (ADS) in both languages. Furthermore, tonal information in Thai was only slightly less identifiable in Thai IDS than Thai ADS. The universal features and language-specific differences in IDS are discussed in terms of facilitating infant socialization at younger ages, and language acquisition later in infancy.
KW - cross-language
KW - infant-directed speech
KW - infants
KW - language development
KW - pitch prosody
KW - tonal language
UR - http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/35112
M3 - Article
SN - 0163-6383
JO - Infant Behavior & Development
JF - Infant Behavior & Development
ER -