Similarity of babbling in Spanish- and English-learning babies

Infants from a variety of linguistic backgrounds have been reported to babble similarly. The present study considers this possibility in detail, offering a concrete characterization of how babbling of Spanish- and English-learning babies is similar. Babbling of a group of Spanish- and another of Eng...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of child language 1982-10, Vol.9 (3), p.565-577
Main Authors: Oller, D. K., Eilers, R. E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Child, Preschool
Communication disorders
Humans
Infant
Language
Language Development
Phonetics
Verbal Behavior
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Summary:Infants from a variety of linguistic backgrounds have been reported to babble similarly. The present study considers this possibility in detail, offering a concrete characterization of how babbling of Spanish- and English-learning babies is similar. Babbling of a group of Spanish- and another of English-learning infants (12 months of age) was recorded and transcribed by two experimenters, one a primarily Spanish speaker and one a primarily English speaker. Results show that in spite of gross phonetic differences between the adult phonologies of Spanish and English, babies from both groups produce predominantly CV syllables with voiceless, unaspirated plosive consonants. Vowel production is also perceived as notably alike. In the light of such similarities, possible differences in babbling of the two groups may be hard for even sophisticated listeners to notice.
ISSN:0305-0009
1469-7602
DOI:10.1017/S0305000900004918