Studying child-directed speech

Vera Kempe, Marisa Casillas

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

Abstract

In this chapter, we summarize the different questions asked by studies of child-directed speech (CDS) and the methodological approaches taken to answer them. We first summarize how CDS has been described in the literature, including how it is argued to vary across language communities. We then discuss what the available evidence can and cannot tell us about the mechanisms that drive production and effects of CDS and its role in language transmission. Finally, we suggest directions for future research that place CDS in the context of the cultural diversity of children’s complex multimodal sociocultural environments within which language transmission takes place.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Oxford handbook of approaches to language evolution
EditorsLimor Raviv, Cedric Boeckx
Place of PublicationOxford
PublisherOxford University Press
Chapter5
Pages83-110
Number of pages27
ISBN (Electronic)9780191981593
ISBN (Print)9780192886491
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 29 May 2025

Publication series

NameOxford handbooks in linguistics
PublisherOxford University Press

Keywords

  • Child-directed speech
  • Language development
  • Language input
  • Cross-cultural diversity
  • Within-group variation

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