Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T12:28:24.515Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Babbling of twins in a bilingual environment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

Larisa Zlatić ,
Peter F. Macneilage ,
Christine L. Matyear  and
Barbara L. Davis
Larisa Zlatić*
Affiliation:
University of TexasAustin
Peter F. Macneilage
Affiliation:
University of TexasAustin
Christine L. Matyear
Affiliation:
University of TexasAustin
Barbara L. Davis
Affiliation:
University of TexasAustin
*
Larisa Zlatić, Department of Linguistics, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Transcriptions of 17 hours of recordings of babbling by fraternal twins in an English/Serbian language environment (1,454 utterances) were analyzed for basic aspects of articulatory organization, effects of the “twin situation,” and effects of the two ambient languages, English and Serbian. Predictions that babbling would be dominated by a “frame” provided by rhythmic mandibular oscillation were, for the most part, confirmed in the form of consonant-vowel co-occurrence constraints showing little active intersegmental tongue movement (one subject) and a predominance of “vertical” (mandible-induced) intersyllabic variegation (both subjects). A possible effect of the twin situation was observed in the form of unusually high frequencies of the consonants and vowels most frequent in babbling. The only prominent ambient language effect was a relatively high frequency of palatal glides (palatals are common in Serbian).

Type
Articles
Information
Applied Psycholinguistics , Volume 18 , Issue 4 , October 1997 , pp. 453 - 469
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1997

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Boysson-Bardies, B. de (1993). Ontogeny of language-specific syllabic productions. In Boysson-Bardies, B. de et al. (Eds.), Developmental neurocognition: Speech and face processing in the first year of life. Dordrecht: Kluwer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boysson-Bardies, B. de, Halle, P., Sagart, L., & Durand, C. (1989). A cross-linguistic investigation of vowel formants in babbling. Journal of Child Language, 16, 1–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boysson-Bardies, B. de, Sagart, L., & Durand, C. (1984). Discernible differences in the babbling of infants according to target language. Journal of Child Language, II, 1–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boysson-Bardies, B. de, & Vihman, M. M. (1991). Adaptation to language: Evidence from babbling and first words in four languages. Language, 67, 297–319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, R. (1957). Words and things. Glencoe, IL: Free Press.Google Scholar
Conway, D., Lytton, H., & Pysh, F. (1980). Twin-singleton language differences. Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science, 12, 264–271.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cruttenden, A. (1970). A phonetic study of babbling. British Journal of Communication Disorders, 5, 110–117.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davis, B. L., & MacNeilage, P. F. (1994). Organization of babbling: A case study. Language and Speech, 37,341–355.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davis, B. L., & MacNeilage, P. F. (1995). The articulatory basis of babbling. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 38, 1199–1211.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davis, E. A. (1937). Linguistic skill in twins, singletons with siblings, and only children from age five to ten years. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.Google Scholar
Day, E. (1932). The development of language in twins. Comparison of twins and single children. Child Development, 3, 179–199.Google Scholar
Ingram, D. (1992). Early phonological acquisition. A cross-linguistic perspective. In Ferguson, C. A., Menn, L., & Stoel-Gammon, C. (Eds.), Phonological development. Parkton, MD: York Press.Google Scholar
Kent, R. D., & Bauer, H. R. (1985). Vocalizations of one year olds. Journal of Child Language, 12, 491–526.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koch, H. C. (1966). Twins and twin relations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Locke, J. L. (1983). Phonological acquisition and change. New York: Academic.Google Scholar
Luria, A. R., & Yudovitch, F. I. (1959). Speech development of mental processes in the child. London: Staple Press.Google Scholar
MacNeilage, P. F., & Davis, B. L. (1990a). Acquisition of speech production: Frames, then content. In Jeannerod, M. (Ed.), Attention and performance XIII: Motor representation and control. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
MacNeilage, P. F., & Davis, B. L. (1990b). Acquisition of speech production: The achievement of segmental independence. In Hardcastle, W. J. & Marchal, A. (Eds.), Speech production and speech modelling. Dordrecht: Kluwer.Google Scholar
MacNeilage, P. F., & Davis, B. L. (1993). Motor explanation of babbling and early speech patterns. In Boysson-Bardies, B. de et al. (Eds.), Developmental neurocognition: Speech and face processing in the first year of life. Dordrecht: Kluwer.Google Scholar
Matheny, A., & Bruggemann, C. (1972). Articulation proficiency in twins and singletons from families of twins. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 15, 845–851.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mines, M., Hanson, B., & Shoup, J. (1978). Frequency of occurrence of phonemes in conversational English. Language and Speech, 21, 221–241.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mitchell, P., & Kent, R. (1990). Phonetic variation in multisyllable babbling. Journal of Child Language, 17, 247–265.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oller, D. K. (1980). The emergence of the sounds of speech in infancy. In Yeni-Komshian, G. H.Kavanagh, J. F. & Ferguson, C. A. (Eds.), Child phonology: Volume 1. Production. New York: Academic.Google Scholar
Oller, D. K., & Steffans, M. L. (1993). Syllables and segments in infant vocalizations. In Yavas, M. (Ed.), First and second language phonology. San Diego: Singular Publishing.Google Scholar
Oller, D. K., Wieman, L. A., Doyle, W. J., & Ross, C. (1975). Infant babbling and speech. Journal of Child Language, 3, 1–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, B., Brown-Sweeney, S., & Stoel-Gammon, C. (1989). A quantitative analysis'of reduplicated and variegated babbling. A First Language, 17, 147–153.Google Scholar
Stark, R. (1980). Stages of speech development in the first year of life. In Yeni-Komshian, G., Kavanagh, J., & Ferguson, C. (Eds.), Child phonology: Volume 1. Production. New York: Academic.Google Scholar
Tomić, T. (1978). Statisticka analiza srpskohrvatskog teksta pomocu racunara [Statistical analysis of Serbocroatian text using computers]. Sarajevo: Institut za Jezik i Knjizevnost u Sarajevu, Odelenje za Jezik.Google Scholar
Vihman, M. M. (1992). Early syllables and the construction of phonology. In Ferguson, C. A., Menn, L., & Stoel-Gammon, C. (Eds.), Phonological development (pp. 393–422). Parkton, MD: York Press.Google Scholar
Vihman, M., Macken, M., Miller, R., Simmons, H., & Miller, J. (1985). From babbling to speech: A re-assessment of the continuity issue. Language, 61, 397–445.CrossRefGoogle Scholar