Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026

Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody
Published on: September 27, 2024
Word class and silent pauses in spoken narratives of children with specific language impairment
Purpose:
To determine whether word class has any influence on the mean duration of silent pauses in the spoken narratives of children with specific language impairment (SLI) and in those with typical language development (TLD).
Methods:
The study sample consisted of 60 children in the age range from 7 to 10 years: 20 with SLI; and 40 with TLD. Each child produced 15 narratives, each based on a set of four pictures (scenes) and each set of pictures being more complex than the last. The narratives were analyzed, and nouns, adjectives, verbs, conjunctions, prepositions, and pronouns were identified. A computer program was used in order to determine the duration (in milliseconds) of the silent pauses preceding words of each class.
Results:
In both groups, silent pauses were shortest before nouns and longest before conjunctions. For all word classes, the mean duration of silent pauses was longer in the SLI group than in the TLD group.
Conclusion:
Word class influences the duration of silent pauses, which are shorter before nouns and longer before conjunctions. Children with SLI produce longer silent pauses, possibly because of their language processing difficulties.
More Related Videos
10:11Portable Intermodal Preferential Looking IPL: Investigating Language Comprehension in Typically Developing Toddlers and Young Children with Autism
Published on: December 14, 2012
06:15Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism
Published on: October 3, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Language Development
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
Components of Language
Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory
Learning Disabilities
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a...
Sleepwalking and Sleep Talking
Factors that increase the likelihood of sleepwalking include sleep deprivation and alcohol consumption. Contrary to common beliefs, it is safe...
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...