NIH2

Project Summary
NIH2: Temporal patterns in child speech 

Current models of speech production are based on fully developed adult speech. Nevertheless, children's immature speech is held to the standards of these speech production models which don't account for planning structures or control strategies that the children may be employing throughout the developmental stages. This research looks at the development of the full range of prosodic patterns in children ages 5 to 11; children at this age are well along in their language development, but still do not fit the adult speech production models. The study will identify the rate at which different prosodic patterns are acquired, as well as the developmental patterns between timing, intonation and syntax in order to define how developing prosody differs from adult speech and the current models of speech production being used to evaluate children's speech. The overall goal of this study will be to model the strategies and structures in children's developing prosody through a number of longitudinal and cross- sectional studies connecting age to a number of features in developing speech.