Emblem use in parent-child interaction : A longitudinal study

Abstract: This thesis investigates emblem use exploratory in parent-child interaction. Emblems are conventional gestures with a verbal equivalent. The aim of this study was to answer if emblem use facilitates language acquisition. Formulaic gestures – fixed gestures accompanying songs – were examined as a subgesture of emblems. 20 children and their parents’ emblem use were recorded when interacting freely at seven age points: 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 24 months. Emblem use was correlated to the children’s productive vocabulary at 30 months. The results showed that parental emblem use at 24 months and child emblem use at 15 months predicted child productive vocabulary at 30 months. T-tests showed how emblem production of children in a lower productive vocabulary group differed from children in a higher productive vocabulary group. A difference between the children of the lower productive vocabulary group and the children of the higher productive vocabulary group emblem use was also found at 15 months, indicating emblem use being important in language acquisition. Formulaic gestures did not correlate to child productive vocabulary. Emblem use developed along with child age and probably inherently with word production. Parents adjust their emblem use to the child’s age and/or possibly language skills, suggesting that child-directed gesturing occurs in parent-child interaction.