Language input and child-directed speech

Abstract

Abstract Children's early language acquisition is directly informed by the talk they hear around them, as is their social and pragmatic development. Child directed speech (CDS), also referred to as ‘babytalk’ or ‘motherese’, is one example of linguistic input that children receive. Descriptions of this register (if it exists in a speech community) can illuminate local cultural practices, values, and beliefs, as well as providing a platform for research into language development. In this chapter we review the limited amount of existing research that describes CDS in Indigenous Australian communities, reporting on studies of CDS as a specialized speech register, as well as work describing verbal routines and socialization practices. This survey highlights the many similarities shared by CDS registers around the country, despite the structure of the respective adult varieties often differing vastly from one another.