Prosody and discursive functions of questions in Infant-Directed Speech
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22481/el.v20i1.12066Keywords:
Infant-directed speech; Questions; Prosody; Discursive functions; Language acquisition.Abstract
We investigated interrogatives produced in infant-direct speech by adults interacting with Brazilian babies. IDS shows syntactic, lexical, prosodic changes and high rate of questions. We collected data from four babies (aged from 4 to 12 months-old) and their caregivers and characterized the questions in their prosodic aspects and discursive functions. We found that most questions were marked by one or more prosodic features. Initially, the questions seek to engage the baby, are rhetorical and quite highlighted. At six months, the number of semi-rhetoric ones, which aim to verify understanding, grows. At ten months, full questions, seeking new information and clear answers, increase. The results suggest that the interrogative functions are in line with the development of the baby's ability to dialogue with the adult, with prosody playing an important role in highlighting distinctions between utterances and intentions of the adult, potentiating the baby's cognitive, linguistic, affective and social development.
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