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Development of prosodic patterns in Mandarin-learning infants*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 August 2008

LI-MEI CHEN
Affiliation:
National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, ROC
RAYMOND D. KENT*
Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin-Madison
*
Address for correspondence: Raymond D. Kent, Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin, 53705, USA. e-mail: Kent@Waisman.Wisc.Edu

Abstract

Early prosodic development (f0 variation) was systematically measured in Mandarin-learning infants at the transition from babbling to producing first words. Spontaneous vocalizations of twenty-four infants aged 0 ; 7 to 1 ; 6 were recorded in 45-minute sessions. The speech production of twenty-four caregivers was also audio-recorded during caregiver–infant natural daily interactions at home. All recordings were transcribed using broad prosodic patterns. Analysis revealed four major findings: (1) falling f0 contours were more prominently produced than level and rising contours; (2) high prosodic patterns occurred more frequently than mid and low prosodic patterns; (3) these distribution patterns of f0 contours showed significant similarities in babbling and early words; and (4) these distribution patterns were also similar in infants' and their caregivers' data.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

[*]

We are grateful to the infants and their families who participated in this study. Without their involvement, this study would not have been possible. Their hospitality made the whole recording procedure an enjoyable experience. Special thanks also to anonymous reviewers for their very helpful comments on earlier versions of this paper.

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