Work

Age-related changes in lexical tones and intonation in Cantonese infant-directed speech: A longitudinal study

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: This longitudinal study investigated modifications in lexical tones and intonation in Cantonese infant-directed speech (IDS) to children aged 15 and 23 months. The results showed that to children at both ages, mothers increased intonational pitch height and pitch variability across utterances, and produced lexical tones with generally larger tonal space and greater intra-talker tone variation within categories in IDS compared to adult-directed speech. No significant changes were found in either lexical tones or intonation in IDS between the two ages. In addition, positive correlations were found between the degree of age-related changes in tonal space and intonational exaggerations in IDS as children grow older. The findings were discussed with a focus on the co-occurrence of an increase in tone variation along with tonal space expansion, the age-related changes in lexical tones and intonation, and the associations between the lexical and prosodic pitch modifications.

Source: Journal of Child Language

DOI: 10.1017/s0305000924000333

Authors: Luchang Wang, Patrick C. M. Wong

Institutions: Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Chinese University of Hong Kong

Language: English

Topic: Phonetics and Phonology Research

Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,450

OpenAlex ID: W4402932107