Phonetics and Speech Sciences (말소리와 음성과학)

Korean Society of Speech Sciences (한국음성학회)
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Acoustic characteristics of Korean fathers' infant-directed speech to typically developing children

일반 영유아 아버지의 아동지향어 특성

  • Eunji In (Department of Communication Disorders, Ewha Womans University) ;
  • Ayoung Kim (Department of Communication Disorders, Ewha Womans University) ;
  • Do Youn Kim (Department of Communication Disorders, Ewha Womans University) ;
  • Youngmee Lee (Department of Communication Disorders, Ewha Womans University)
  • 인은지 (이화여자대학교 언어병리학과) ;
  • 김아영 (이화여자대학교 언어병리학과) ;
  • 김도연 (이화여자대학교 언어병리학과) ;
  • 이영미 (이화여자대학교 언어병리학과)
  • Received : 2025.01.31
  • Accepted : 2025.03.09
  • Published : 2025.03.31
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Abstract

Infant-directed speech (IDS) is a crucial linguistic input that enhances language development and improves the quality of interaction in infants. Although previous studies have focused primarily on maternal IDS, this study investigated the acoustic characteristics of paternal IDS in comparison with adult-directed speech (ADS). Speech samples were collected from ten father-child pairs. Acoustic features, including mean fundamental frequency (F0), F0 range, speaking rate, utterance duration, and pause duration, were analyzed using Praat software. Paternal IDS exhibited significantly higher mean F0 and F0 ranges than ADS. Additionally, the IDS contained significantly fewer syllables per utterance and exhibited a higher pause frequency. However, no significant differences were found in utterance duration, speaking rate, or pause duration between IDS and ADS. The study revealed that paternal IDS exhibited distinct acoustic characteristics compared to ADS, such as a higher mean F0 and F0 range, shorter utterance duration, and faster speaking rate. These findings highlight the dynamic and engaging nature of paternal IDS, which likely plays a vital role in capturing children's attention and enhancing interaction quality. The complementary role of paternal speech in children's language development offers valuable insights for future research and parental education programs.

아동지향어는 영유아의 언어발달과 상호작용의 질을 향상시키는 중요한 언어 자극이다. 아동지향어 관련 연구에서는 주로 어머니의 아동지향어에 초점을 맞춰왔으나, 본 연구는 아버지의 아동지향어와 성인지향어의 음향학적 특성을 비교하고자 하였다. 10쌍의 아버지-영유아 간 상호작용에서 얻은 아버지 발화 샘플을 분석하였으며, 음도(mean F0, F0 range), 말속도(speaking rate), 발화길이(utterance duration), 발화 간 쉼(pause duration)의 음향학적 특성을 Praat 프로그램으로 분석하였다. 아버지의 아동지향어는 성인지향어에 비해 평균 F0와 F0 범위가 유의하게 높았다. 또한, 아동지향어는 성인지향어에 비해 발화당 음절 수가 유의하게 적었으며, 쉼 빈도가 유의하게 높았다. 그러나 발화길이, 말속도, 쉼 길이에서는 아동지향어와 성인지향어 간에 유의한 차이가 없었다. 본 연구에서는 아버지의 아동지향어가 성인지향어에 비해 더 높은 평균 F0와 F0 범위, 적은 발화당 음절 수, 높은 쉼 빈도의 특성을 보인다는 것을 확인하였다. 이러한 결과는 아버지도 어머니와 마찬가지로 본인의 발화를 조정하여 어린 자녀의 주의를 끌고 상호작용의 질을 향상시키고자 노력한다는 것을 의미한다. 본 연구 결과는 아버지의 발화도 아동의 언어 발달에서 주요한 역할을 할 수 있다는 것을 의미하며, 나아가 아버지를 대상으로 하는 부모 교육 프로그램 개발에 중요한 기초자료로 활용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

이 논문 또는 저서는 2023년 대한민국 교육부와 한국연구재단의 지원을 받아 수행되었음 (NRF-2023S1A5A2A01082797).

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