The episodic structure of maternal speech to young children

Messer, David

doi:10.1017/s0305000900007017

Cited by 21 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…Statistical analyses of parents' speech to their children have convincingly demonstrated that multi-utterance episodes to the same referent, similar to (1), are pervasive in child-directed speech (Frank et al, 2013;Messer, 1980). A number of researchers have argued, and empirically demonstrated, that repetitive and interconnected utterances aid with speech perception (Bard & Anderson, 1983), word segmentation (Onnis, Waterfall, & Edelman, 2008), word-referent mapping (Schwab & Lew-Williams, 2016;Vlach & Johnson, 2013), semantic development (Clark, 2010), and syntax learning (Hoff-Ginsberg, 1986).…”

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confidence: 94%

The Multisensory Nature of Verbal Discourse in Parent–Toddler Interactions

Suanda

Smith

2016

Developmental Neuropsychology

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Toddlers learn object names in sensory rich contexts. Many argue that this multisensory experience facilitates learning. Here, we examine how toddlers' multisensory experience is linked to another aspect of their experience associated with better learning: the temporally extended nature of verbal discourse. We observed parent-toddler dyads as they played with, and as parents talked about, a set of objects. Analyses revealed links between the multisensory and extended nature of speech, highlighting inter-connections and redundancies in the environment. We discuss the implications of these results for our understanding of early discourse, multisensory communication, and how the learning environment shapes language development.

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confidence: 94%

The Multisensory Nature of Verbal Discourse in Parent–Toddler Interactions

Suanda

Smith

2016

Developmental Neuropsychology

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“…Although a few recent studies have examined linguistic aspects of speech to young infants (Kaye, 1980;Snow, 1977b;Rheingold & Adams, 1980), most maternal-speech research has focused on speech to children in the 1-to-5-year range (e.g., Bellinger, 1980;Cross, 1977;Messer, 1980;Snow, 1972). This emphasis reflects the view that a primary function served by the simplification of adult speech to children is the facilitation of language learning.…”

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confidence: 99%

Expanded intonation contours in mothers' speech to newborns.

Fernald¹,

Simon²

1984

Developmental Psychology

698

578

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The prosodic characteristics of "motherese" were examined in the speech of 24 German mothers to their newborns. Each subject was recorded in three observational conditions, while addressing (a) her 3-to 5-day-oId baby (M-B Speech); (b) the absent infant, as if present (Simulated M-B Speech); and (c) the adult interviewer (M-A Speech). For each subject, 2-minute speech samples from each condition were acoustically analyzed. It was found that in M-B Speech, mothers spoke with higher pitch, wider pitch excursions, longer pauses, shorter utterances, and more prosodic repetition than in M-A Speech. Furthermore, 77% of the utterances in the M-B Speech sample conformed to a limited set of prosodic patterns that occurred only rarely in adult-directed speech, i.e., they consisted of characteristic "expanded" intonation contours, or they were whispered. The prosody of mothers' speech is discussed in terms of its immediate influence within the context of motherinfant interaction, as well as its potential long-range contribution to perceptual, social, and linguistic development.

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“…In typically developing infants, object play becomes a significant focus of interpersonal activity by 6 months of age, although the adult partner initially takes responsibility for topic-sharing. (Kaye, 1982;Messer, 1978Messer, , 1980. Then around 8 months children develop the ability to coordinate object-directed and person-directed actions, becoming able to intentionally share attention to an object (Trevarthen & Hubley, 1978).…”

Section: The Interventionmentioning

confidence: 99%