Prosodic development is increasingly recognized as a fundamental stepping stone in first language acquisition. Prosodic sensitivity starts developing very early, with newborns becoming attuned to the prosodic properties of the ambient language, and it continues to develop during childhood until… read more
This chapter delves into the crucial role of pronunciation, particularly prosody, in shaping meaning and fostering the development of pragmatics in Spanish as an additional language (ELE). Effective communication not only relies on the literal content of verbal messages, but it also heavily… read more
Prosody influences speech organization by signaling phrasal prominence, grouping patterns, and speakers’ pragmatic intentions. While traditionally viewed as restricted to speech, research shows prosody is also conveyed visually. This article reviews research showing strong parallels between… read more
This chapter reviews evidence on how infants up to 18 months of age develop the ability to use prosody as a sign of the expression of pragmatic meanings, from both a comprehension and a production point of view. Developmental research reveals that pre-lexical infants use prosodic information not… read more
The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the relationship between prosody, gesture, and spoken language production from a developmental perspective. The coordination of prosody and manual movements from theoretical, behavioral and neuroanatomical perspectives will be explored. We focus on how… read more
Previous literature had found that infants rely on the social-contextual information to understand the pragmatic meaning of a pointing gesture. Our study investigates the prosodic and gesture features accompanying a pointing gesture that infants may also use to infer its meaning. Nine… read more
