MOTHERESE
IN
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
BY :
TIARA KRISTINA PASARIBU
REG. NO. :025010067
A THESIS
/MILIK
P ERP UST~K
A~ ·r· :
L
UNIIl'lc f)
~
Submitted for Graduated Ot>fl<t rtmt-nt
of English Applit>ll Ungui~tic.11, llNIM.ED
jn partial fulntlmt'nt of the requirements
for the degn< ~ ofMastcr in Hum~wiora
GRAD UATE PRO G R A M
ENGLI S H
APPL IED LINGUISTICS
STATE UNIVERSITY O f I'IEDAN
2004
THESIS
MOTHERESE
IN
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
Arranged and Proposed by:
Tiara Kristina Pasaribu
Reg.No:025010067
Has been defended before the Thesis Examination Committee on December 9th, 2004 and declared to have fulfilled the requirements.
Approved by:
Consultant Commission
First Consultant, Second Consultant,
~~
P rof. M. Silitonga Pb.D Prof. Babreo Umar Siregar, Ph.D
This is to certify lhat the Magister's Thesis of Tiara Kristina Pasaribu has been aprovcd by the consultants for further approval by l3oard of Exumincrs.
Medan, November 2004
Consultant I
.. , f'l
'._',\
. .\;
~··
.
\ \ ;' . · v-\J
..,.,.,--Prof. M. Silitonga Ph.D
·Medan,
November 2004Consultant II
ACK._l\iOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, I would like to praise God Almighty for His abundant bkssing
in my life that has enable me to complete this thesis in order to fulfill one of the
requirements in obtaining the degree of Magister Humaniora from the English Applied
Ling uistics Graduate Program from The State University ofMedan, m M edan.
My
deepest thanks is conveyed to my first consultant12rofM.
Silitonga P h Dwho has given me such priceless guidance. For without his h elp and generosity in sharing
his knowledge, I wouldn't be able to complete my thesis.
To my second consultant, Prof. Baren Umar Sircgar Ph D, I would also like to
give my deepest thanks for his time and attention.
To the Board of Examiners, Prof Dr. Jawasi Naibaho also as the IIead of the
English Applied Linguistics Graduate Program Department, Drs Amrin Saragih, DTEFL,
MA, PhD and Prof Tina Mariany Arifin, M.A., PhD, I would like to convey my sincerest
'thank you' for their useful jnput for the improvem(!nt of this thesis.
I would like also to take this opportunity to give thanks to my kcturers and tutors
of the third year L TBI regular class, who has shared their precious time and knowlcdg~ to
us students.
My special thanks is directed to the suhjects of the research who has given $Uch
full cooperation and understanding. My full appreciation also goes to Jojo's parents, Jona
Sitepu and Ruth felicia Angdika Pasaribu, and to Andrew' s parents Dorma Ria Pasaribu
and Pardamcan llutabarat for giving me permission to use their sons as the subjects of
this study. M y love to Jojo and Andrew for always bringing 'joy' each day.
T will always be indebted to my late mother, Holy Tan Huo Niu Panggabean,
who had motivated me ~rith her love and support all through her life. 1 dedicated this
thesis in her memory.
My deepest. appreciation will undoubtedly be given to my father, Amudi Pasaribu,
who has helped me to understand the meaning of the word '"to persevere". His love and
helpful suggestions have always been tremendously appreciated.
To mv husband, Sinar Muda Riton!!;a and mv three wonderful children, Michael - w •
Partogi Haposan, Chnsta Ad1ratna and Thcresia Retta Desiree, my love is bestowed to all
of you
forbeing
so
understanding during the last two and the half years. Without myhusband' s financ ial support, and his enduring cnouragemt:nts I might not have finished
my study. 1 tyas also deeply humbled at my family's acceptance of the messy home and
hurriedly prepared meals during my study and in the process of writing my thesis. I am
deeply blessed lor tht:ir understanding.
Lastly but not least, my special thanks will be directed to my dear friend s who has
helped me in the1r own special ways. I wil l always b~ filled with gratitude to: Ratna
Ind.rawati Lukita, Hobby Lie Jit Hoat and Ben M. Pasaribu. Also to my classmates at
LT.BI; my colleagues and friends from the University of HKBP Nommensen for whom I
cant mcntiqn one by one.
Finally, I realized that this thesis is far from being pcrlcct. Therefore, I wi ll
appreciate any suggestion or criticsm for the improvement of this thesis.
Medan, November 2004
Tiara Kristina Pasaribu Reg.No.025010067
ABSTRAK
Pasaribu, Tiara Kristina. 2004. Motherese in Language Acqui.sition, Tesis, Jurusan Linguistik Terapan Bahasa lnggris, Program Pasca Sarjana Universitas Negeri
Medan. Pcmbimbing: (1) Prof. M. Silitonga Ph.D, (II) Prof. Dahren Umar Siregar,
Ph. D.
!Um-kata kunci: Mothcresc, Language Acquisition, Caretaker Speech, Baby
talk,Child directed speech
Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mc:ngkaji penggunaan bahasa dari para pengasuh
dalam berbicara dengan anak anak yang disebut scbagai •bahasa sang ibu' atau apa yang
lazim dikenal sebagai ' motherese ' . Para ahli dari ilmu Social lntcraksionis menyatakan
bahwa setiap anak memperoleh bahasa lewat interaksi yang dia lakukan dengan para
pcngasuhnya yang berbicara kepada mereka lcwat bahasa yang khusus digunakan kepada anak anak keciL Bahasa khusus ini dikenal sebagai Bahasa Sang Ibu atau Motherese.
Mcnurut beberapa ahli seperti Gleason ( \998 ), Clark (2003), Tngram ( 1989), ciri ciri dari
Bahasa Sang lbu yang khusus digunakan oleh para pengasuh kepada anak anak kecil
dapat dibagi kepada. lima ciri ciri, yaitu Prosod.i (Prosodic features), Kata-kata
khusus(Lexical features), Kesederhanaan ucapan (Complexity Features), Ucapan yang
berulang ulang (Redundancy Features) dan Topik pembicaraan (Content Features). Pada penelitian iui, peneliti ingin mcngetahui apakah Bahasa Sang Ibu digWJakan juga oleh para pengasuh dari anak orang Indonesia. Perumusan masalah adalah sebagai berikut: ( 1} Bagaimanaka.h para pengasuh membentuk pcrcakapan mereka dalam berkomunikasi dt:ngan anak anak dengan mcngunakan Bahasa Sang lbu? (2j
Bagaimanakah reaksi dan anak anak pada tahap meracau (babbling) and kalimat tunggal
(holophrac;tic) terhadap penggunaan bahasa Sang Ibu ini? Untuk mcnjawab pertanyaan ini, peneJitian kualitatif d1lakukan tcrhadap dua orang bayi yang herumur tujuh bulan
dan tujuh bcla.s bulan untuk mewakili tahap babbling dan holophnt.stic. Penelitian d1lakukan selama tiga bulan di rumah kakt:k dari kedua anak tersebut. Para pengasuh dalam herkomunikasi dengan kcdua anak tersebut telah diteliti dan percakapan mercka
juga dirckam untuk mendapatkan data data.
Dari hasil pcnelitian tersebut diketahui hahwa Bahasa Sang Ibu atau 'motherese'
itu j uga digunakan oleh para pengasuh orang Indonesia terh.adap anak anak yang mereka
asuh. Ciri c\ri dari Bahasa Sang lbu juga terdapar di percakapan para pengasuh yang
ditelhi. Lcwat penel itian ini diketahui bah\va perkemhangan bahasa anak dibandingkan
dengan perkembangan bahasa anak ana.k yang berbaha!ia Inggris didapati lebih lambat walau secara mental mereka berada pada tahap kognitifyang scsuai dengan usia mereka.
Sesua.i dengan hasil dari penclitian yang didapati, maka terdapat beberapa saran yang telah diaj ukan yaitu, (a) jangka waktu pcnehtian hendaknya Jebih lam a, (b) para peneliti lain agar dapat memperdalam pcnd itian terhadfp Bahasa Sang 1bu tt:rhadap lebih banyak subjek, (c) dalam herbicara dengan seorang ana:k para orang tua harus lebih tcliti
terhadap para pcnga;;uh yang berhubun gan langsung dengan anak tei'Sc!but olch karena
pada masa mo.sa pcrkcmbangan hahasa ini kemampuan anak akan dipengaruhi oleh orang
ABSTRACT
Pasaribu., Tiara Kristina. 2004. Motherese in Language Acquisition. Thesis, English Applied Linguistics, Post Graduate Program, The Sta te Uni versity of Medan. Consultant: (1) Prof. M. Silitonga Ph.D, (IT) Prof Bahren Umar Sircgar, Ph. D.
Key words : Motherese, Language Acquisition, Caretaker Speech, Baby talk ,Child directed speech
This research is concerned about the sp ~ ech register commonly used by caretakers toward infants and small children, which is known by the term 'motherese'. According to the social interactionists, a child will acquire la nguage as a process of social interaction among his caretakers namely his parents, his family or his caretakers. Tney have observed that adults or the caretakers have made use of a special speech register which is known as "motherese" to converse with their infants. "Motherese" is commonly used by adults when speaking to young children, and are characterized by the following characteristics:. Prosodic features, Lexical features, Complexity features, Redundancy features and Content features, according to several experts namely Gleason ( 1998), Clark (2003), and Ingram ( 1989).
ThiS" particular research \:viii try to answer whether the speech register 'Mothcrese ' is also used by Indonesian caretakers and will try to answer the following problems: ( I) How do the caretakers structure their conversations using motherese in
communicating with the infants? (2) llow do the infants at the babbling and holophrastic period response to the use of motherese? In order to acquire the answer to the research problem, a qualitative research ts made towards two mfants at the ages of seven
ana
seventeen months to represent the babbling and holophrastic period. The research employed a cross sectional observational case study on the caretakers of the two infants at their grandparent's how;e for the time period of three months. The conversations that the caretakers employed towards the two infants were observed, recorded and written down as the data. The responses of the two infants on the use of motheresc by the caretakers were also noted.The fi ndings indicated that the Indonesian caretakers also employ the use of the special speech register 'motherese' towards the infants that they cared for. The features of 'motherese' were discovered in the conversation that the caretakers make. The responses of the infanis were also seen to be positively affecting the language development of the infants. However, when compared with their peers of the English speaking children, the
language development of these infants seemed to be a little bit slower. However, their cognitive development was considered normal and suited to their age.
In v iew or the research, the tollowing suggestions we::re made: (a) the length of the research time should be longer, (b) there should be follow up to the research by other researchers in order to know more about the use of •r,notherese' in Indonesian children, (c) parents should be careful in selecting the caretakers who will infiuence- the child' s language development.
LlST OF TABLE
TABLE
PAGE
2.1 Five Characteristics of Baby talk... .... . .. .... ... ... ... 14
2.2 Five Categories of Illocutionary Act.c:; ... . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 24
2.3 The Four Stages of Sensorimotor Period of Cognitive Development... 34
2.4 The Deve lopmental Stages of Language.. . ... ... ... ... 39
3.1 The List of the tnfants' Caretakers... 49
4.1 Type of Utterances made towards Jojo by the Caretakers .... .. ... ... 59
4.2 Type of Utterances made towards Andrew by the Caretakers ... .... ... 60
4.3 The Caretakers' Utterances viewed from the Illocutionary Acts ... .. . .... 63
4.4 List of Lexical Features in "Motherese" employed by the Caretakers. ... .. . 69
4.5 The Caretakers' use ofVocating and Endearment Tenns... ... ... ... ... ... ... 72
4.6 The Caretakers' use ofDeitic Terms... ... ... .. . ... .... . ... ... ... .. . 72
4.7 Matrix of Cross Case Analysis Study: The Structure of the Caretakers ' 8R ... Conversation towards Jojo and Andrew ... ... .. ... .... ... .. . .. 4.8 Matrix of Cross Case Analysis Study: The usc of Motherese by 89 ... Caretakers towars Jojo and Andrew .. . .. . ... .. ... ... ... . .. . .. .. ... . 4.9 Jojo's Responses... ... ... ... .. .. ... ... ... 92
4.10 The Responses ofthe Infants towards the Caretakers' Conversation... 95
4. 11 Jojo's Babbling in terms of his Acquisition ... ... ... .. ... ... 98
4.12 Jojo's Language Acquisition Development.. . ... ... .. .
98
4.13 Andrew ~s Language Acquisition Devdopment. .. ... ... ... .. . .. . ... ... . .. ... 101
4.14 Andrew's Overextension of Early Words... .... .. ... .... . ... ... . 101
z
?
m
[image:8.600.48.547.78.689.2]LIST Of DIAGRAM
DIAGRAM
PAGE4.1 Andrew's Rcs~on sc in using Gestures ... .. ... ... 94
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRAC'l' ... _ ... ... ... .. ... . .... .. ... . .. .... ... ... . ... ..
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.. . . .. . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . m
LIST OF TABLES... .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . . .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . . . .. . . .. . .. .. . .. .. v
LIST Of DIAGRAM . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . .. .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. .. .. v1
APPENlJ JXES .. . .. . ... ... . .. ... ... .. . .. . ... . .. ... ... . .. . .. ... .. . . .. . .. ... .. . ... ... ... .. . . .. vii
TABLE Of CONTENT ... ... .. ... ... ... ... .. .... . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . .. V II I CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 The Background of t h~ Study... 1
1.2. Th ~ Research Problem . ... . . . .. . . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . . .. . .. .. .. .. . . .. .... .. . ... . .. .. 4
1.3 The Objective of the Study: .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . 5
1.4 The Scope of the Study... ... .. ... ... . ... .. ... ... .... .. .. .... ... .. . ... ... .. ... 5
1.5 The Signi fi cance of the Study... .. . . .. . . .. .. . . . .. . .. . . .. .. . . .. . .. . . .. .. . . . 5
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 2. 1 So m~ Remarks on Terminology .. .. .... . .. . . .. .. ... ... ... .... .. ... . .. . 8
2.2 Motherese ... .... .... ... ... .. ... .. ... ... ... ... ... . .. .... ... ... . l l 2.2.1 Child-Directed Speech ... .. ... . .. .. . ... ... . .. . ... .. .. 12
2.2.2 Caretaker Speech ... ... ... .... .. .... ... .. ... ... ... . .. .... ... .. 13
2.2.3 Baby talk .. . ... . ... ... ... ... ... .. ... .. .. ... .... .. ... ... .. . ... . .. 14
2.2.4 T he Characteristics o f M othcrcse ... ... ... . .. . ... . .... ... . .. . ... .. 14
2.2.4. 1 Prosodic Ft!atures.. . .. . .. .. ... . .. ... ... . ... .. 15
2.2.4.2 Lexical Features ... ... ... .... .. . .. . ... .. . ... ... .... .. l 7 2.2.4.3 Complexity Features ... .. ... .. ... .. . . .... . ... ... .. .. 18
~ .2.4.4 Redundancy Features ... .... . .. . .. ... .. .... . ... .... ... .. .. 18
2.2.4.5 Content F~ature s ... ... .. ... ... ... . ... ... ... ... . .. . 20
2.3 Conversation ... ... .... . . .. . .. . .. .. ... . . 21
2.3. 1 Speech Act T heory .. ... .. .. . ... .. .. . ... .. . ... ... ... ... . .. . ')"" ... .) 2.3.2 Conversation with Young Children .... .. ... ... ... .. . ... ... .... ... ... . 25
2.4. First Language Acquisition ... ... . ... ... ... ... ... .. ... ... . 28
2.4.1 Th e
rssues
of Language /\cquis1tion ... . ... .. . .. .. ... ... . .. . 292.4.2 The Cognitive Theory ... . ... ... ... . .. . ... .. . ... ... ... ... ... ... .. .. 32
2.4.3 The Sociallntcractionist Theory .. .... .. . .... .... . .. . ... .... ... ... .. . .
36
2.5 The Stages of Language Acquisition Development... . . . . .. . . 37
2.5. 1 Babb ling to Holophrastic Period .... .. ... ... .. ... .... .. .... .. .. .. . .. .. .. . 39
2. 6 Words ... .. .. .. ... ... . .. .. .... ... .. . ... ... ... ... .. . 43
2.6. 1 Shapes of Early Words . .... .. .. .. ... ... .. .. .. .... ... .... .. 44
a
CHAPTER lll: M.t:THODOLOGY
3. 1 The Research Design . . ... ... ... .. .. .. .. ... . ... 46
3.2 The Location of the Study... .. ... .. ... . .... .. .. 47
3.3. The Subjects of the Study... ... ... .. ... ... ... 47
3.3.1 The Caretakers ... . . .. .. . . . . . .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. . .. .. . . 48
3.3.2 Jonathan Torkis Suranta Sitepu... ... . .. ... .. . .. . .. . ... ... ... ... .. . . .. .. 50
3.3.3 Andrew Togar Squall Hutaharat ... ... ... ... . . .. . . .. .. .. 51
3.4 The Source of Data.. ... ... . .. .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. .. .. . . .. .. . 52
3.5 Technique of Data Collection... .. ... ... . .. ... ... ... . .. . .. .. . .. . .. .. . .. .. . ... 52
3.6 . Technique for Data Analysis .. ... . ... ... .. .. .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . .. .. 52
CHAPTER IV: DATA ANALYSIS AND FiNDINGS 4.1 The Data Anal y~i~ .... .. .... . ... .. 54
4.1.1 The Caretakers' Conversation Structure ... ... . ... ... .. 54
4 . 1.1.1 Tht: Careta kers' Conversation Viewed from Speech Act
60
Theory ... ... .. .. ... .. . ... . ... . ... .... . . .. 4.1. 2 The Usc of Mothere~t: by the Caretakers ... .. ... . ... ... .. . 624.1.2. 1 Prosodic Features ... . 63
4.1.2:-2 Lexical Features ... .... ... ... . .
67
4.1.2.3 Complexity Features ... ... ... . ... ..
72
4.1.2 .4 Redundancy Fealurt:s ... ... ... ... ... ... ..
74
4.1. 2.5 Content Features ... ... ... .... ... .
76
4. l .3 The Development of the first Language Acquisition as a result of
77
. . . Motherese .. . ... .. ... . ... ... .. ... . .... . 4. 1. 3. 1 Jonath an T o rk i~ Suranta Sitepu ... . ... . ~.1.3.2 Andrew Togar Squall Hutabarat. ... ... ... ... . 4.2 The Findings. ... . . . . . . ... , ... . ... .. .... .78
Cl
8387
4.2. 1 The Caretakers· Conversation Structure ... . .. ... ... ... ..87
4.2.2 The Use ofMothcrcsc by the Caretakers ... .. . ... ... .. 88
4.2.3 The D evelopment of the First Language Acquisition as a result of 90 .. ... .... . Motherese ... . . ... .. ... .... ... ... ... .. 4. 2 .3. 1 The Infants' Responses to the Usc of Motherese ... ... . ..
90
4.2.3 . 1. 1 Jojo's Responses ... .. . ... ... .. 91
4.3.1. 1.2 Andrew's Responses ... . ... ... ..
92
4.2 The D evelopment of the Infants Fir~t Language Acquisition ... ..
96
4.J.2. 1 Jojo 's Langtlagc Acquisition Development.. ... .
97
4.3.2.2 Andrew's Language Acquisition Development. ... ... . ... .. 99
CHAPTER V: CONCLfJSION AND SUGGESTION 5.1 Conclusion ... ... ... ... ... ... .... .... .... ... ... ... ... ·" ... .... .. .. ... I 03 5.2 Suggestion... ... ... . ... ... ... .... .. ... ... ... .. . .. . . 105
REfERENCES... . . 1 07
APPENDIX... ... ... ... .. ... ... ... ... ... llO
CHAPTER I
INTRO.DUCTION
1.1 The Background of the Study
I
MIUK
PERPUST.AK
AA-1\i!
L
u
Nlfl!
E
!) ;
Parents and adults alike, aro always amazc;d at the development of their children's
language acquisition. From only communicating through crying, cooing and babbling,
the infants go through the stages of language development and in no time at all, the
children were suddenly able to speak in meaningful words. These acquisitions seemed to
be something that we as human being found to be so extraordinary.
The questiom on the language acquisition in human infants have a(ways been a
fascination through the ages. Human beings have been blessed with the gift of words
which differentiate them from other creatures on earth. The realization of the gift thatllas
been bestowed to only the human being made us curious each time we see an in±~ mt's
development namely from a crying baby into an adult with the capacity of speech.
There had been many research made regarding our curiousity of the language
acquisition of hwnan children since the history of mankind. Several of those research
had
been
extreme such as the toll owing examples as found in Fromkin ( 1983 ;21-22) andin Gleasorl( 1998:3 7),
• Psammcticus, an Egyptian pharoah who lived during the 7th century BC believed that language was innate and that when children were isolated after birth from any
language, they would acquire the language they had been born with. So, he
isolated two children who were then said to have a spoken a few words of
• King James V from Scotland in the 151h century also perfom1ed a similar
experiment It was reported that the children spoke good Hebrew.
• Akbar a Mogul emperor of lndia in the 16111 century was also interested to know
whether language was innate or acquired t hrough the exposure of adults speech.
He ordered a house for two infants and appointed a mute nurse to take care of
them in an isolated place. The children did not a<.;quire speech .
:From all these early ex perimen ts ~ it can be seen that the underlying motive
contained in these early researches showed that people from early days had also been
tascinat<:::d with the language acquisition of infants. They were interested in knowing how
the infants could learn the language. They needed to find out how infants could acquire
the language if they were without any human interaction, from the parents and the
community they lived in . In most cases it was proven that infants acquired language..
through the communication between the infants and their parents and caretakers in the
environment they lived in. Even though the ability to acquire language seemed to be
innate, however, they needed the stimulus of the environment to be able to acquire the
language. Infants need other people especially their caretakers to motivate them to
communicate namely through crying, cooing, uttering sounds, or meaningful words ..
which will help them to be able to carry a conversation, to communicate their needs and
wants with other people in the commW1ity. According to several experts, such as Ingram
(1989: 13 J ). Taylor (1990:237), Dardjowidjojo (2000:48-49) the speech register that
adults tend to use towards infants llnd children is called 'rnotheresc'. It is a special way of
the adults in speaking towards srnali children. Holzman ( 1983:26) as cited in Taylor
(1990:237), "A molhcr 'converses' with her infant by treating any kind of sound, burps,
whee:res, random vocalizing babbling- as contributions to the conversation".
As Kuhl (2000; 13)furthcr explained that,
"motherese" is instructive, .. .. New data suggest that language addressed to infants plays a much more important role. The universal speaking style used by
caretakers around the world when they address infants. often called " mothcrcse"
or "parenlese" has been shown to b~ preferred over adult~directed speech by
infants given a choice. Moreover, the exaggerated stress and increased pitch typical of infant-directed speech assists infants in discriminating phonetic units. Infant-directed speech also is altered at the phonetic level and these alterations are argued to help infants learn".
Tt is for the reason of tmdcr::;tanding further the use of 'motherese' in our society
that the researcher 1s curious to study how the use of motherese is responsible to the
language development of children. Similarly, after reading the work of Dardjowidjojo
(2000 :49) on the language acquisition of the author's granddaughter, the researcher
interest on the use of 'motherese' in an indonesian child grew. Dardjowidjojo clarified
the term he:: used for motherese in the Bahasa Ludoncsia is called 'Bahasa Sang lbu'. He
explained that 'motherese' is used because of the motivation in communicating and not
because of the need
or
the caretakers in teaching language to the inHmt. Therefore, it isdue to the need to communicate that adults adjusted their speech register. Dardjowidjojo
explained further that the adjustment in the caretaker's speech register served two
functions namely to facilitate understanding, and to get the child to be involved in the
conversation.The researcher became interested in carrying out an observation on the
development of first language acquisition viewed from the intentction between the
caretakers and the infants, where the speech regi~ ter ' mothcrcsc-' is used. However, it will
he limited to the early communication of infants in their natural environment
whether Indonesian caretakers make use of the special speech register known as
'Motherese' and whether Indonesian infants are also responding similarly or differently
to the use of "Motherese" as the other <..:hildren in a nother culture and country. The study
will be conducted towards the caretakers communicating with two infants that are at the
babbling and the holophrastic period in which the infants conversational skills are at the
beginning stage. An observation will be made on the use of motherese by the infants
caretakers and on the language development of the two infants. The infants reaction to
the speech register known as 'Motheresc' or what is also kfioWit' a£ ' baby talk'.
' parcntese', 'caretaker speech', or 'child directed speech' will be recorded in a notebook
and tape recorder. The infants' utterances and reactions' will be recorde~ and the use of
mothercsc by caretakers will be observed, however it is limited to the utterances of the
caretakers using motherese and that of the infants in the shapes of their early words. In
this study, the researcher will focus on the word 'motherese' instead of the other tcnns
namely ' baby talk', 'parcntes~', ·caretaker speech', or ·child direcled speech' .
1.2 The Research Problem
The re s~arch will try to answer the foHowing problems:
1. How do Lhe caretakers (the person who is taking care of the infant) structure their
conversations using mothcrcse in communicating with the infants?
2.
How
does theinfant
at the babbling period response to the us~ ofm otherese?3. How does the in1ant at the holophrastic period response to the usc ofmotherese?
1.3 The Objective of the Study
The objectives of the study are intended to describe:
I. the use of motherese by the caretakers in communicating with the infants.
2. the development of the first language a cqui ~-t ion of two infants m
communicating as a result of motherese by the caretakers where the infants
are at the babf)ling and holophrastic period.
1.4 The Scope of tbe Study
In conducting the study, the researcher will limit her observation on only the
interaction between that of the caretakers (namely the parents, grandparents, aunts and
uncles also the older siblings, haby sitters etc.) with the infants. The researcher
wiH
beconcern on only the utterances of the caretakers which uses motherese. Therefore, the
study will only be limited to the utterances that the infants and caretakers makt:. The
infants being observed will be at the ages of seven-month old (0;7) and 17-month old
(1,5) at the beginning of the research respectively, and by the end of the research, they
will be nine months old (0; I 0} and seventeen-month old ( 1 ;6) respectively.
1.5 T he Sigoifiea ncc of the Study
The findings of the study will be useful for:
I . other researchers w ho are interested in knowing the similarity or differcnce:t of
the special speech register knowu as 'M otherese ' being observed on two
Indonesian infants at lhe babb1mg and holophrnStic period.
2. lecturers who teach Language Acquisition in Indonesian Universities in enriching
their resources on Language Acquisition or Indon~sian Children.
3. parents and other adults who practice Motherese in communicating with infants
and young children.
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
5.1. Conclusion
fMILIKlPERPUST~K
A ANI
~
l~
!\J
~
M
E
~ }
i
-~-
-- -
...--
..·-
... ·- ~--- ~ ..To conclude the observations that wc:re made on the st udy ~ the researcher came to
the following conclusi on.
1. Mothcrese is found to be used by the Indonesian caretakers in th is particular study
with all the characteristics that are described by Clarks, Ingrams and Taylor et~
The caretakers made adjustments on the use of mothcrese to the age level of the
infants. .fn older infant, the use of more complex utterances were made, as co mpared to the use of much more simpler structure in the younger infant -A
much more exaggerated intonations and higher pitch were made towards a
younger infant.
2. Mothercsc which is used hy the caretakers towards the infants assisted the
development of their first language acquisition where the caretakers simplified the
difficu lt sound and word that couJd be understood . The caretakers also offered
substitution towards words that they felt would be ditlicult for the infants to
understand and vocalize_ Motheresc also helped the infanls to recognize
importantc; words when the caretakers repeated the wordc; several times in the
utterances that they made. The intonation and the pitch employed in the motherse
allow the infant to recognize that the caretakers \'(efC talking exclusively to them,
3. The use of motherese by the caretakers allowed the infants to express themselves
in the fonn of their responses as conversations were initiated toward them. By
giving the infants feedback promoted further responses from them, where
eventually the exchanges between them helped the infants to understand the value
of conversation.
At the end of the research, the developmental growth of both infants can be
clearly seen to follow the normal course of Piagefs cognitive development. However,
their language acqu1sition development seemed to
be
somewhatslower in the
developmental stage of language as indicated by Paivio ( 1981 ). However, the researcherrealized that the developmental stages of language which Paivio e.xressed was based on
the development of the F.nglish speaking infants that might have certain differences
compared to the Indonesian speaking infants. Nevertheless, although the developmental
stages of language of Jojo and Andrew might be a little bit slower, however, the period
that they have to go through are not fixed in terms of specitic time, hut contained a range
of perio<:L For example, ~::cholalic period according to Paivio occur at the age of 0;9 to
1 ;0, which therefore ranged for about four months. Therefore, for Jojo who was at the
beginning of babbling at lhe end of th<:: research had not entered the echolalic period yet,
however, he can he seen not to be very far behind in his development. With Andrew it
was al so the same. When the research was at the beginning, he was still at the babbling
and echolalic period, and at the end of the research his early words was still under fitly
words. As it was in Jojo's ca<;e, it was also the same as in Andrew's case. Andrew was
also not that far behind in his development, he was still in the range of period in acquiring
his first words or beginning his holophrastic period.
To conclude, this study is ba~ed on the caretakers' use of the speech register of
motherese, and the responses of the infants on the use of that speech register. At the end
of the study, the researcher observed that the infants were very responsive to the
caretakers conversations. The caretakers constantly involve Jojo and Andrew
in
conversation which helped them to acquire the skills that will help them to adapt to the
other people o utside their home later on. for through the interactions that they got from
the caretakers which is realized in the speech register ' molherese', the infants
eagerly
responded with laughter, vocaliLation, gestures etc. which indicated that they could
express themselves and that they knew what was expected from them. Although Jojo and
Andrew were still speaking unintelligibly, however, the caretakers could understand what
they meant or wanted. In time, through all thest: interactions, the infants will continue
growing and able to initiate and response to the utterances made toward them. All these
and with the fuH understanding of the caretakers \viii help the infants to become the adults who are capable to interact and socialize with all kinds of people in the language
that they acquired.
5.2 Suggestions
In view of the research that was made on the use of tht: speech register
'motherese· towards the language acquisition of the two infants as the subject of the
research, the following suggestions are made.
First, the length of the research should be longer, and additional subjects should
be added to establish a much more detailed and accurate research. This research is made
towards the Lwu infants who were at th ~ babbling and holophrastic period, th e refor ~ to
have a much more complete picture of the use of motheresc towards the children in
Indonesia, therefore, more subjects from the various stages of language development
should be included .
Second, the research should bt: foHowed up by more researchers so that from the study we could learn how indonesian infants comprehend, produce and perceive
language when the the speech register of mothercse is used. As research on language
acquisition of the Indonesian children is still pretty scarce, therefore, in making more
studies on the language acquisition of the Indonesian children, the wealth of knowledge
in the language acquisition study will increase.
Third, in initiating conversation with the infants, the caretakers have made an
emotionai contact with the child and therefore parents should be careful in choosing the
people that surround the infant. For example, when choosing a baby sitter, parents should
consider what effect the person will have on the infant's development Especially at the
crucial period of the babbling and hoJophrastic period, the infants were not able to
communicate what they need or feel in utterances that the caretakers can understand,
therefore, it will be up to the family to screen out a person that might hinder the child's speech and cognition developmental growth.
Finally, the caretakers should be careful not to use too much warnings such as the
words "jangan", "awas'', "tidak bolch" so that the infant will not experience inferiority
because of being wamcd not to do so many activities. The development of the infants'
social skill might become a problem later on, a s children who are warned not to do things
too often would be afraid to explore new things.
REFERENCES
Baron, N. S. J9g9. The Uses of Baby Talk. ERIC Digest. http://www.e rie facility.net/ericdigests/ed318230.html. C learinghouse on Lanb'llages and Linguistics Washington DC.
Bennet-Kastor, T. 1988. A na~y:m g Children's l.cmguage. Methodv and Jheories,_Basil
Blackwell Ltd. New York .
Bogdan, C R. 1992. Qualitative Research fo r f..:ducation:An Introduction 10 Theory and
Method'>: Needham Heights, MA. Allyn and Bacon.
Brown, R. 1977.A First J.anguage. '/he b'arly Sta ges~ Hruva rd University Press. C ambridge. Massachusctls.
C lark, E V. 2003. First l,anguage Acquisition. Camhridge University Press, Cambridge. Crain, S. and Lillo-Martin, D. 1999. An fnlroductwn ro !.inguistic lheory £md language
Acquisition. Hlackwcll Publishers Inc., Malden.
Dardjowidjojo, S. 2000. Fdw: K1sah Pemero/ehan Bahasa llnak Indonesia~ PT Gramedia Widiasara Indonesia, Jakarta.
Fletchcr.z. P. and Mac Whinney, B. 1995. The Handhook of C'hild Language. Blackwell
Publishers Ltd. Oxford.
Fromkin, V and Rodman, R. 1983 .An lmroduction 10 Language. CBS
College
Publishing, New York.
Gleason, J. B. and Ratner, N. B. 1998. Psycho/inguistlcs (Second Edition). Fortworth, Harcourt Brace College Publisher.
Ingram, D. 1989. Firs/ Language Acquisilion:Methods, Descriplion and /.}.);planation~
Cambrid1:1e University Press. New York.
Jersild, A. I 968. ('hild P.,ycho/ogy, Prentice Hall, Inc. London.
Kayani, N. l· . .'nvirortmenlal Faclt>rs:molherese, mput. sucial factor.d n:
http :1lwww. ha us ~tP ei ten . de/faet:her /ha.usarbei t/an i/ 169 9 l. htmJ.
Kuhl, P. K. 2000. A New View oj /,anguagc Acquisition. C olloquium Paper In: PNAS,October 24, 2000. Vol.97. N0.22, 11850-11857.
htt_p_:!/www. pnas . orwcg! /~ontent/ful 1/97 /227U 850.
Lightbrown, P. M. and Spada, N. 2003. How Languages are Learn ed~ Oxford University Press. New York.
Lightfood, D. 1999. Jhe Development of Language Acquisition: Change a11d J:::volul ion
Blackwell , Maryland.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary F:nglish. 2001. Third Edition. Pearson Education
Limit~<.!. London.
Lu, M. Y. 2000. Language [) ~velopment in the Early Years. ERIC Digest 0154.
http :/ /www .e ricfacil itv.net/ericdig~sts/ed 4 46336. html. ERIC clearinghouse on
Reading F.nghsh and Communication Hloomington IN.
Lvons, J _ 1911. !mrnducl ion to Theoretical Unguis! ics. Cambridge at the University
Press. London.
Matthews, P H 1997.
7'lte
Concise Oxford Dictwnary ofLingustics. Oxford UniversityPress. Oxford
McCarthy, L. F. 2003. Thost: Wonderful First Words. In: Parents, September,. pg.
146-149.
Menyuk, P. 1971. The Acquisition and Dr!ve/opment ofLanguage. London. Prentice-Hail
Inwmational lnc.
Monk, F. J. et al. 1992. Pstkologi ?erkembangan: Pen~antar dalam Rerbagai
Ba giannya~ Yo6ryakarta: GacUak Mada University Press.
Moskowitz, B. A 1978. The Acquisition of Language~ In: l!uman Communicalion
Language and Its P.\ychologlcal Hases. Readrngs from Scientific Americans·. Pp. 12) -1 31. W. H. Freeman and Company, San Francisco.
Paivio, A and Begg, L 1981. Psychology c?f Language. Prentice-Hall Inc., Englewood
Cliffs. I .ondon.
Pinker, S. 1994 The Language !nslinct. 'lhe New S'cience uf Language ami .t\1/ind.Allen Lane, The Penguin Press. London.
Rott, P.
200 i.Chzld-directed Sp eech:Jvfod(flcations m !.inguistic Input to Children and Their Possible lunqtions. Fremdsprachliches Institut Essen. http://www.hausarbciten. de/rdlfaecher/vorschaull8464.html.Scheurweghs, G. 1959. Fr(f.sent-Day Enf!,lish Syntax Longmans, Green and Co. Ltd.
London .
Steinberg, D. D. 1982. P.~ycholinguistics: language, mind and World. Longman Group Limited. New York.
Taylor, I. 1990. Psycholinguistics !.earninJ!. and Using !.anp,uage. Pr~ntice Hall Inc.
London.
Verspoor, M. and Sauter, K. 2000. HnRirsh ,)'entence Analysis: An Introductory Course.
John Renj amins Publishing. Amsterdam.
~~5
Eo~
tJ:J'
~~
~
>
a
z
~
?
~
m
m
&,,
E-9
