Prosodic Patterns in Hebrew Child-Directed Speech
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| Title: | Prosodic Patterns in Hebrew Child-Directed Speech |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Segal, Osnat, Nir-Sagiv, Bracha, Kishon-Rabin, Liat |
| Source: | Journal of Child Language. Jun 2009 36(3):629-656. |
| Availability: | Cambridge University Press. The Edinburgh Building, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK. Tel: 800-872-7423; Tel: 845-353-7500; Tel: +44-1223-326070; Fax: 845-353-4141; Fax: +44-1223-325150; e-mail: subscriptions_newyork@cambridge.org; Web site: http://www.cambridge.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Physical Description: | |
| Page Count: | 28 |
| Publication Date: | 2009 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Semitic Languages, Suprasegmentals, Nouns, Language Patterns, Longitudinal Studies, Language Rhythm, Intonation, Child Language, Phonology, Verbs, Speech Communication |
| DOI: | 10.1017/S030500090800915X |
| ISSN: | 0305-0009 |
| Abstract: | The study examines prosodic characteristics of Hebrew speech directed to children between 0 ; 9-3 ; 0 years, based on longitudinal samples of 228,946 tokens (8,075 types). The distribution of prosodic patterns--the number of syllables and stress patterns--is analyzed across three lexical categories, distinguishing not only between open- and closed-class items, but also between these two categories and a third, innovative, class, referred to as between-class items. Results indicate that Hebrew CDS consists mainly of mono- and bisyllabic words, with differences between lexical categories; and that the most common stress pattern is word-final, with parallel distributions found for all categories. Additional analyses showed that verbs take word-final stress, but nouns are both trochaic and iambic. Finally, a developmental analysis indicates a significant increase in the number of iambic words in CDS. These findings have clear implications regarding the use of prosody for word segmentation and assignment of lexical class in infancy. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2009 |
| Accession Number: | EJ842131 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The study examines prosodic characteristics of Hebrew speech directed to children between 0 ; 9-3 ; 0 years, based on longitudinal samples of 228,946 tokens (8,075 types). The distribution of prosodic patterns--the number of syllables and stress patterns--is analyzed across three lexical categories, distinguishing not only between open- and closed-class items, but also between these two categories and a third, innovative, class, referred to as between-class items. Results indicate that Hebrew CDS consists mainly of mono- and bisyllabic words, with differences between lexical categories; and that the most common stress pattern is word-final, with parallel distributions found for all categories. Additional analyses showed that verbs take word-final stress, but nouns are both trochaic and iambic. Finally, a developmental analysis indicates a significant increase in the number of iambic words in CDS. These findings have clear implications regarding the use of prosody for word segmentation and assignment of lexical class in infancy. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0305-0009 |
| DOI: | 10.1017/S030500090800915X |
