Identifying Prosodic Contrasts in Utterances Produced by 4-, 7-, and 11-Year-Old Children

Abstract

Although listeners identified prosodic contrasts produced by all 3 age groups, accuracy was significantly higher for 7- and 11-year-old productions. Findings are consistent with production studies that suggest relative stabilization of prosodic control between ages 4 and 7. Parallels between prosodic and segmental acquisition are discussed.