Features of Bangla child directed speech: a sketch from observation of pre-school children and caregiver interaction

Abstract

The mixed-method study examines the features of Child Directed Speech (CDS) within the Bangla language. The study employs naturalistic data collection from caregiver-child interactions in different families of the Bangla-speaking community. Children of five different age groups from 2-4 years were selected to observe the changes in CDS features as children develop. The features were categorized based on the functional aspect of the adult utterances. The parameters for the functions were set based on the researcher's own understanding of the language as a native speaker and existing literature on CDS features of other languages. The findings showed that there are indeed CDS features in Bangla; some of these features do show age-sensitive patterns. Furthermore, more the study also provides insight regarding the possible cultural influences a language has and how it is also observed in child-directed speech. Lastly, the study adds to the literature of CDS, especially Bangla CDS, which is quite understudied.