Exploratory Analysis of the Prosodic Features in the Production of Communicative Intentions in Lebanese Adults and Children

Abstract

In interpersonal communication, the speaker is always trying to convey an intention. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of prosody and the role it plays in the way communicative intentions are conveyed (Papafragou, 2018; Hellbernd & Sammler, 2016); particularly because prosody facilitates the comprehension of utterances. The main goal of communication lies in the intentions that are normally identified by interlocutors and influence how they react to speakers. Listeners infer these intentions based on the assumption that speakers are abiding by the rules or maxims that govern a collaborative exchange of information. The current study is motivated by the lack of data on prosody and intention recognition in Arabic speaking adults and children, particularly native speakers of Lebanese Arabic. The current study is a controlled experiment aimed at exploring the general patterns in how Lebanese adults (18 to 60-year-olds) and children (6 to 15-year-olds), whose L1 is Lebanese Arabic, produce isolated words while conveying three different intentions: criticism, warning and wish. Results revealed that adults and children produce the three intentions similarly and share similar prosodic patterns.