LINGUIST List 14.2026

Tue Jul 29 2003

Qs: Infant-directed Speech; Arabic Dative

Editor for this issue: Naomi Fox <foxlinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Fay Wouk, query: prosody and infant directed speech
2. Mahmoud Abduljawad, dative alternations in Arabic

Anne Fernald, in 'Human maternal vocalizations to infants as
biologically relevant signals: An evolutionary perspective. In
Language Acquisition: : Core Readings, Paul Bloom (ed.). 1996
Cambridge MA: MIT Press. Reprinted from Barkow et al, 1992, The
Adapted Mind: Evolutionary psychology and the generation of culture.
Oxford: Oxford University Press. suggests some universals in terms of
prosodic patterns in speech directed to infants. I was wondering if
anyone knows of any further work done in this area, and in particular,
if there has been any investigation of this in some of the cultures
(like Samoan, Quiche Mayan or working class African-Americans) where
it has been claimed that little or no speech is directed at infants.

thanks,
Fay


Fay Wouk
Senior Lecturer in Linguistics
Department of Applied Language Studies and Linguistics
University of Auckland
Private Bag 92019
Auckland
New Zealand
f.woukauckland.ac.nz

Dear colleague,
 I am wiriting an academic paper on the dative alternation in
Modern Standard Arabic. Specifically, I am trying to investigate the
interface/overlap between the dative alternations and the double
object constructions in MSA. I will appreciate it if you provide me
with any relevant material. e.g. on-line sources or electronic
materilal. I do apprecitae your cooperation!

A. T. Mahmoud
 
atmahmoud4yahoo.com



Abduljawad. T. Mahmoud, Ph. D.

(Dept. of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts, U. of Pittsburgh, U.S. A.)

Associate Professor of Linguistics, (Faculty of Arts, U. of Assiut,
Egypt)