| Developments in intonation form and function in the pre-syntactic speech of a young boy at 16 months, 3 weeks of age and 17 months, 3 weeks of age are described based on Pike's model of American English intonation. Data were collected via video- and audio tape recording as the mother and child played together in a small playroom.; Intonation developments were examined in relation to vocalization type, vocalization length in syllables, contour complexity and discourse function.; The first meaning contrast was expounded by rising versus falling contours along a dimension of engagement versus detachment. Level contours, which were produced primarily by complex contours, imposed a deliberate quality on the child's speech. However, this quality was a by-product of the operation of a complexity regulating process: the predominance of level contours curtailed pitch movement and contour type variation and permitted integration of increased rhythm unit and intonation complexity.; It was concluded that the keystone of the intonation system is the terminal pitch. Control of the terminal pitch in falling contours coincided with significant developments in other language and non-language areas: development of negation, development of reference, rudimentary two-word utterances, and ego psychological developments differentiating self from non-self.; Intonation was thus found to function meaningfully in pre-syntactic speech. However, intonation was not fully productive due to some fusion of intonation form with vocalization form and discourse function. Results are discussed in terms of preliminaries for a model of intonation development. |
