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Intonation development from five to thirteen.
Bill Wells1, Sue Peppé, Nata Goulandris
1Department of Human Communication Sciences, University of Sheffield, UK. bill.wells@sheffield.ac.uk
Journal of Child Language
|January 22, 2005
Summary
Children
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Developmental Psychology
- Speech and Language Therapy
Background:
- Intonation development continues beyond age five.
- Previous research indicates significant changes in intonation understanding and usage in later childhood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively investigate the development of functional intonation in children.
- To examine comprehension and production of intonation across four communicative areas: chunking, affect, interaction, and focus.
Main Methods:
- Administered a specialized battery of prosodic tasks to 120 children aged 5;6 to 13;9.
- Utilized four age groups (5;6, 8;7, 10;10, 13;9) from London, UK.
- Assessed comprehension and production of intonation in specific communicative contexts.
Main Results:
- Significant individual variability observed in intonation skills within age groups.
- Functional intonation production is mostly established by age five, with some contrasts mastered by 8;7.
- Intonation comprehension develops through age 10;10, correlating with language abilities.
Conclusions:
- Children's functional intonation skills show continued development into adolescence.
- Intonation comprehension is linked to broader language development in children.
- Age-related milestones exist for specific intonation functions, but variability is notable.