Article published In:
Australian Review of Applied LinguisticsVol. 23:1 (2000) ► pp.53–76
Some characteristics of fathers’ and mothers’ speech to young children
This study investigated a range of formal, conversational and functional aspects of fathers’ and mothers’ speech to children aged 2;6-3;8 in two dyadic contexts (book reading and puzzle play), and one triadic context (family mealtime). Speech situation influenced the type of speech produced, and parents’ speech changed in a similar direction across contexts. Nevertheless, there were some differences found between parents across tasks. There was little difference between parents in respect of formal characteristics of speech, but differences were evidenced at the pragmatic level.
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