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Linguistic environment of Persian-learning infants in Iran: quantity and prosodic characteristics of caregiver speech

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  • Additional Information
    • Publisher Information:
      2026-03-06
    • Abstract:
      The language environment of infants—particularly the characteristics of caregiver speech—plays a central role in early language development. Although infant-directed speech (IDS) has been extensively examined in WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic) contexts, its features in Middle Eastern (ME) settings remain understudied, limiting cross-cultural understanding. Existing ME studies mainly offer qualitative descriptions or examine limited IDS features using small samples, and quantitative acoustic analyses—especially those from naturalistic longform recordings—are almost absent. No prior research has investigated speech quantity, prosodic characteristics, or developmental changes in IDS among Persian infants. Addressing this gap, this dissertation investigates the linguistic input of infants in Iran, focusing on speech quantity and the prosodic characteristics of IDS in Persian mothers. This study used the Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) system, analyzing ~605 hours of home audio recordings from 50 infants (6–13 months) in Mashhad, Iran, supplemented by demographic questionnaires, automated and manual annotations, and acoustic analyses. Adult speech quantity and prosodic features of IDS were examined using multiple regressions, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and linear mixed-effects models in R to evaluate: (1) associations between infant age, sex, and socioeconomic status (SES) and adult speech quantity; (2) gender differences in speech input; and (3) prosodic modifications in IDS and their developmental changes. Cross-linguistic comparisons situate Persian IDS within broader global patterns. Key findings were: (1) Adult Word Count (AWC) was not significantly associated with infant age, sex, or caregiver SES. (2) Infants heard significantly more speech from female than male adult speakers, with a gender gap larger than those reported in many Western samples. (3) Mothers tended to use higher mean pitch, greater pitch variability, and shorter
    • Subject Terms:
      caregiver speech; infant-directed speech (IDS); Persian (Farsi); non-WEIRD Middle Eastern context; Adult Word Count (AWC); LENA system; manual annotation; acoustic analysis
    • Availability:
      Open access content. Open access content
    • Note:
      English
    • Other Numbers:
      UAT oai:mspace.lib.umanitoba.ca:1993/39655
      1582120054
    • Contributing Source:
      UNIV OF MANITOBA
      From OAIster®, provided by the OCLC Cooperative.
    • Accession Number:
      edsoai.on1582120054
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