CDS

Question 1

What is Child directed speech

Answer 1

The academic term for the language used by adult/caregivers when addressing children

CDS, baby talk, motherese, caretaker language, caregiver language, parentese.

Question 2

Phonological features of CDS

(6)

Answer 2

• Exaggerated intonation
• Separate phrases more distinctly (longer paused)
• Speak more s-l-o-w-l-y
• Exaggerated ‘singsong’ intonation
• Exaggerated difference between questions, statement and commands
• Higher and wider range of pitch

Question 3

Lexical and semantical features of CDS

(5)

Answer 3

• Use of concrete nouns (e.g. Train, cat) and dynamic verbs (e.g. give, put)
• Adopt child’s own words for things (wickle Babbitt)
• Frequent use of child’s name
• Simplify and restrict vocabulary
• Repetitive

Question 4

Grammatical features of CDS

(10)

Answer 4

• Repeated sentences frames: ‘That’s a…’
• Fewer incomplete sentences
• More simple sentences.
• More directs requests – more abrupt
• Fewer complex sentence and passives.
• Fewer pronouns
• Omission of past tense and inflections.
• More command, questions and tag questions
• Use of expansions: where the adult ‘fills out’ the child’s utterance.
• Use of recastings: where the child’s vocabulary is put into a new utterance. (Scaffolding)

Question 5

Pragmatical features of CDS

(3)

Answer 5

• Lots of gesture and body language
• Stopping frequently for child to respond
• Supportive language.

Question 6

Shatz (1982)

Answer 6

Only 4% of errors explicitly dealt with/ corrected.
Majority of corrections are with vocabulary not grammar

-> Supports the idea that not everything needs to be corrected.

Corrections:
- Over correction can have a detrimental effect on language development
- Work it out for themselves
- Rephrase/repeat but with correct.

Question 8

Clarke-Stewart (1973)

+ Criticism

Answer 8

Children whose mothers talk to them more have larger vocabulary.

Criticism: only referring to mothers. There would have been no parental leave for fathers at all. 1970’s ‘full time mums’ was a lot more prevalent that now.

Question 9

Roger Brown (1969)

Answer 9

Parents often respond to the truth value of what their child is saying and will correct it if untrue rather than grammatically incorrect.

Similar to Shatz

Question 10

Nelson (1973)

Answer 10

Focuses only on mums and babies

Holophrastic stage (when babies are only speaking one word at a time)

Children whose mothers corrected them on word choice and pronunciation actually advanced more slowly than those with mothers who were generally accepting.

(Open to same criticism as Clarke Stewart)

Question 11

Kohl (1992)

Answer 11

• Studies exaggerated vowel sounds used by parents when speaking to 6 month olds (in English, Swedish and Russian- to prove it wasn’t just a cultural thing)
• Babies turn towards adults who speak in sing-song voice, ignoring regular conversation.
• They recognise when someone is talking to them, exaggerated intonation, and not just talking regularly.
• These children still go through same development stages at roughly the same time, as long as there is exposure to language.

Question 12

What is an important cultural factor to consider with CDS

Answer 12

Not all cultures use Child directed speech, mainly non-western cultures.

Question 13

David Crystal

Answer 13

Fatherese is different to motherese, fathers don’t adapt their language as much as mothers.