Impact of the auditory environment on early vocal development

该研究项目关注婴幼儿言语产生能力的发展。发育科学家已经证实，婴儿出生时就具有区分一种语音和另一种语音的能力。婴儿的言语感知能力的发展是由婴儿在家庭环境中所说的语言塑造的。在生命的第一年，婴儿对语音类别有一种特殊的敏感性，这对理解母语至关重要。婴儿发出语音的能力也在第一年迅速发展。到第一年中期，大多数婴儿都能发出类似于说话的牙牙学语的声音。然而，我们不知道这些早期语音的特征是否是由语言环境塑造的。这项研究将解决以下问题：讲阿拉伯语的父母的婴儿发出的咿呀学语的声音是否与讲法语或英语的父母的婴儿发出的声音不同？具有良好言语感知技能的幼儿是否比言语感知技能较差的幼儿发展出更准确的说话能力？这项研究将帮助我们理解为什么有些孩子比其他孩子更快地发展准确的语音清晰度技能。这项研究可能有助于我们开发更有效的治疗语言障碍儿童的方法。

This research program is concerned with the development of speech production abilities in infants and young children. Developmental scientists have established that infants are born with an impressive ability to discriminate one speech sound from another. The infant's developing speech perception abilities are shaped by the language(s) spoken in the infant's home environment. During the first year of life babies develop a special sensitivity to speech sound categories that are critical for understanding the native language. An infant's ability to produce speech sounds also develops rapidly during the first year. By the middle of the first year most babies can produce speech-like babbling sounds. It is not known whether the characteristics of these early speech sounds are shaped by the language environment however. This research will address the following questions: Do infants with Arabic speaking parents produce babbling sounds that are different from the sounds produced by babies with French- or English-speaking parents? Do toddlers with good speech perception skills go on to develop more accurate speaking abilities than toddlers with poorer speech perception skills. The research will help us to understand why some children develop accurate speech articulation skills more rapidly than other children. The research may help us to develop more effective treatments for children with speech disorders.