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Infant-directed speech does not always involve exaggerated vowel distinctions: Evidence from Danish.
Christopher Cox1,2,3, Christina Dideriksen1,2, Tamar Keren-Portnoy3
1School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Child Development
|June 12, 2023
Summary
Danish infant-directed speech (IDS) shares universal prosodic patterns but exhibits unique vocalic properties, including reduced vowel space and lower discriminability compared to adult-directed speech (ADS). These findings highlight language-specific acoustic variations in early communication.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Speech Acoustics
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Infant-directed speech (IDS) is a modified register used by caregivers worldwide.
- Cross-linguistic studies reveal both universal and language-specific acoustic features of IDS.
- Danish IDS acoustic properties remain under-explored, particularly concerning vocalic characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the acoustic properties of Danish infant-directed speech (IDS) and adult-directed speech (ADS).
- To investigate prosodic and vocalic differences in Danish IDS.
- To examine potential age-related acoustic variations in IDS.
Main Methods:
- Acoustic analysis of spontaneous speech from 26 monolingual Danish female caregivers.
- Comparison of speech directed to 11- to 24-month-old infants (IDS) versus an adult experimenter (ADS).
- Measurement of prosodic features (pitch, variability, articulation rate) and vocalic properties (vowel space, formants, variability, discriminability).
Main Results:
- Danish IDS exhibited higher pitch, greater pitch variability, and slower articulation rate than ADS, aligning with cross-linguistic prosodic patterns.
- Vocalic analysis revealed reduced vowel space, higher within-vowel variability, raised formants, and lower vowel discriminability in Danish IDS compared to ADS.
- No significant age-related differences were found in most acoustic measures, except for articulation rate.
Conclusions:
- Danish IDS conforms to universal prosodic modifications but presents distinct vocalic acoustic characteristics.
- The reduced vowel space and discriminability in Danish IDS may impact phonological development.
- Future research should explore cross-linguistic comparisons in languages with diverse phonological systems.
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