Child-Directed Speech

Start with an overview

Child-Directed Speech is a section of First Language Acquisition in Linguistics and philology. The resources here offer different ways to explore speech used when adults and older children talk to young children. Most are mind maps, with a small selection of flashcards.

Start with CD - input and interaction for an overview of child-directed speech as a special register. The map also introduces linguistic nativist claims and the poverty of the stimulus. It gives you a starting point for comparing the features in the other resources.

Explore the features

Next, open Child-directed Speech. This mind map covers phonology and prosody, including exaggerated intonation, stronger stress, higher pitch, repetition and a slower pace. As you study, note which examples relate to the sound and rhythm of speech.

Then look at Speech Acquisition - Child Directed Speech for lexis and semantics. It covers simplified language and concrete vocabulary connected to a child's environment. Caregiver Speech adds examples of repeated structures, questions and imperatives.

Practice with flashcards and questions

The Child Directed Speech flashcards cover phonology, lexis and grammar. Use them after the maps to check whether you can recall features without looking at your notes. The flashcards on language speaking acquisition also cover techniques such as recasting, echoing, expansion and labeling.

There are no quizzes listed on this topic page. You can still turn a map into questions and check your answers against it. A free account lets you make your own quiz and save your scores, as well as create mind maps, flashcards and notes.

Connect your study

Use the maps to compare the features and techniques presented within this section of First Language Acquisition. You can return to a flashcard deck after exploring a map and use its prompts to recall what you have studied.

Choose a resource and follow the features that interest you.