Audience Design and Social Relations in Aging.

Area of Science:

• Psycholinguistics
• Gerontology
• Sociolinguistics

Background:

• Older adults may alter their communication strategies based on listener age.
• Social engagement is a key factor in cognitive and linguistic functioning in later life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether older adults engage in audience design by modifying language for different listener ages.
• To determine the impact of social contact on audience design in older adults.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-four older adults (mean age 82) performed an instructions task.
• Participants communicated with two simulated listeners: a child and an adult.
• Linguistic features and social interaction levels were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Older adults used more propositions and rapport-building devices with a child listener compared to an adult.
• A lower type-token ratio was observed when speaking to a child.
• Increased social interaction correlated with more propositions directed towards a child.
• Interaction satisfaction was linked to task-tracking and rapport-building devices.

Conclusions:

• Older adults demonstrate audience design, adjusting language based on listener age.
• Social relations play a role in language adaptation among older individuals.
• Further research into audience design and social relations is recommended for understanding language maintenance in aging.