CLA: child directed speech

Question 1

Phonology

Answer 1

• Separate phrases more distinctly (longer pauses)
• Speaking more s.l.o.w.l.y
• Exaggerated ‘sing song’ intonation
• Exaggerated differences between questions, statements and commands
• Higher and wider range of pitch

Question 2

Lexis and semantics

Answer 2

• Use of concrete nouns and dynamic verbs
• Adopt the child’s own words for things
• Diminutive forms
• Frequent use of child’s name and lack of pronouns
• Content is often more redundant

Question 3

Grammar

Answer 3

• Repeated sentence frames
• More simple sentences
• Fewer complex sentences and passives
• Omission of past tense inflection
• More commands, questions and tag questions
• Use of expansions
• Use of recastings

Question 4

Pragmatics

Answer 4

• Lots of gesture and body language
• Frequently stopping for child to respond
• Supportive language} adults encourage conversation
• Politeness
• Appropriate topics of conversation
• Use of pseudo questions

Question 5

Theorist: Jerome Bruner

Answer 5

(Social interaction approach) Puts forward the idea that interactions between child and carer are crucial to language development and help children develop important abilities such as turn taking. He emphasises the importance of conversation and routines

Question 6

Theorist: K. Alison Clarke-Stewart

Answer 6

Children whose mother talk to them are more likely to have larger vocabularies. The child’s sociability to adult strangers was related to the mother-child interaction and the mother’s attitude, but sociability to another child was not correlated with maternal variables.

Question 7

Theorist: Patricia Kuhl

Answer 7

She studied when parents use exaggerated vowel sounds when speaking to 6-month-olds in English, Russian and Swedish. Babies turn to adults who speak in a sing song voice and ignore regular conversation.
Mothers in al three countries exaggerated the same important vowels. By the age of 12 months babies are what’s known as ‘culture bound listeners’.