Pitch and Communicative Intent in Mother's Speech: Adjustments for Age and Sex in the First Year
Abstract
This study investigated pitch and communicative intent in mothers' infant‐directed speech spoken to their infants at birth, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Audio recordings of mothers (6 with female, and 6 with male infants) talking to another adult and to their infant at 5 ages were low‐pass filtered and rated by 60 adults on 5 scales (Positive or Negative Affect, Express Affection, Encourage Attention, Comfort or Soothe, and Direct Behavior). Mean fundamental frequency (F 0) and pitch range of utterances were also measured. Utterances associated with positive affect tend to peak at 6 and 12 months, whereas more directive utterances peaked at 9 months. Mean F 0 followed the age trend for affective utterances, and pitch range followed the trend for directive utterances. The results suggest mother speech patterns reflect, complement, and perhaps facilitate infant development.
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The exaggerated pitch in IDS functions to communicate affect, promote social interaction, and engage and sustain infant attention.
“The exaggerated pitch in IDS functions to communicate affect, promote social interaction [3,5,6], and engage and sustain infant attention [4,7].”
From Effect of maternal depression on infant-directed speech to prelinguistic infants: Implications for language development (2020) · cites this paper as [5]
Mothers adapt the expression of affect in IDS, with speech judged as predominantly 'comforting or soothing' at birth, 'approving' at 6 months, and 'directive' around 9 months.
“Mothers have been shown to adapt the expression of affect in IDS, with their speech judged by naïve raters as sounding predominately “comforting or soothing” at birth, “approving” at 6 months and “directive” around 9 months [5].”
From Effect of maternal depression on infant-directed speech to prelinguistic infants: Implications for language development (2020) · cites this paper as [5]
The first 6 months are a period when IDS pitch exaggerations are most pronounced.
“The first 6 months are also a period when IDS pitch exaggerations are most pronounced [5]”
From Effect of maternal depression on infant-directed speech to prelinguistic infants: Implications for language development (2020) · cites this paper as [5]
Cites
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Acoustic determinants of infant preference for motherese speech
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The meanings of melodies in motherese in tone and stress languages
Papoušek, M., Papoušek, H., & Symmes, D. (1991) · Infant Behavior and Development · doi:10.1016/0163-6383(91)90031-m · Cited by 273 · see citing works
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Motherese in Interaction: At the Cross-Road of Emotion and Cognition? (A Systematic Review)
Saint-Georges, C., Chetouani, M., Cassel, R., Apicella, F., Mahdhaoui, A., Muratori, F., Laznik, M.-C., & Cohen, D. (2013) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0078103 · Cited by 343 · see citing works
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Age-Specific Preferences for Infant-Directed Affective Intent
Kitamura, C., & Lam, C. (2009) · Infancy · doi:10.1080/15250000802569777 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
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“The first 6 months are also a period when IDS pitch exaggerations are most pronounced [5], and the pattern of turn-taking cues that mothers provide shape the emergence of babble [39].”
BackgroundResultInfluentialThe effects of music and movement on mother–infant interactions
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Infants attend longer to controlling versus supportive directive speech
Gerson, S., Weinstein, N., Gattis, M., & Paulmann, S. (2019) · Journal of Experimental Child Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2019.06.007 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
- Authors
- Kitamura, C., & Burnham, D.
- Affiliations
- Western Sydney University (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Kitamura, Christine
- ORCID
- Burnham, Denis
- Venue
- Infancy
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2003-01
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 85-110
- ISSN
- 1525-0008 (ISSN-L)
- 1532-7078
- OpenAlex
- W1974714315
- Cited by
- 261
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 6.13
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Infancy (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Language Development and Disorders
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Phonetics and Phonology Research
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Pharmacy › Infant Health and Development
- Keywords
- infant-directed speech, maternal speech, pitch, fundamental frequency, pitch range, communicative intention, positive affect, directive speech acts, infant development, sex differences, age differences, first year of life
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