MOTHERESE IN LANGUAGE ACQUISITION.
MOTHERESE
IN
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
BY :
TIARA KRISTINA PASARIBU
REG. NO. :025010067
A THESIS
/MILIK
L
P ERP
A~ ·r :
UNIIl'lc
f) j~
.
Submitted for Graduated Ot>flll Ungui~tc.1,
llNIM.E D
jn partial fulntlmt'nt of the requirements
for the degn<
~ ofMastcr in Hum~wiora
GRAD UATE PRO G RA M
ENGLI S H APPL IED LINGUISTICS
STATE UNIVERSITY O f I'IEDAN
2004
UST~K
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
I
Prof. Dr. Belferik Minullang
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.
November 2004
Medan,
Consultant I
.,
'._,\
.
\
.
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.
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----
..,.,.,--
Prof. M. Silitonga Ph.D
·Medan,
November 2004
Consultant II
Prof. Bahre)l Umar Siregar f>h.O
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 Medan.
My deepest thanks is conveyed to my first consultant1 2rof M. Silitonga Ph D
who has given me such priceless guidance. For without his help 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 LTBI 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.
Ill
Twill 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 for being so understanding during the last two and the half years. Without my
husband'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 friends 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
IV
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 juga 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
orang yang dckat padanya.
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.
II
LlST OF TABLE
TABLE
PAGE
2.1 Five Characteristics of Baby talk....... .... . .. .... ................ ........ ........
2.2 Five Categories of Illocutionary Act.c:; ... . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..
2.3 The Four Stages of Sensorimotor Period of Cognitive Development........
2.4 The Deve lopmental Stages of Language.. . ......... ...... ............ ...........
3.1 The List of the tnfants' Caretakers...............................................
4.1 Type of Utterances made towards Jojo by the Caretakers .... .. ... ............
4.2 Type of Utterances made towards Andrew by the Caretakers ......... .... ...
4.3 The Caretakers' Utterances viewed from the Illocutionary Acts..... .. . ....
4.4 List of Lexical Features in "Motherese" employed by the Caretakers. ... .. .
4.5 The Caretakers' use ofVocating and Endearment Tenns... ... ... ... ... ... ...
4.6 The Caretakers' use ofDeitic Terms... ... ... .. . .......... .... . ... ... ......... .. .
4.7 Matrix of Cross Case Analysis Study: The Structure of the Caretakers'
...... Conversation towards Jojo and Andrew ... ................ .. ..... .... ... .. . ..
4.8 Matrix of Cross Case Analysis Study: The usc of Motherese by
...... Caretakers towars Jojo and Andrew .. . .. . ...... .. ... ....... ...... . .. . .. .. ... .
4.9 Jojo's Responses............. ... ........... ... .. .. ................ ...... .............
4.10 The Responses ofthe Infants towards the Caretakers' Conversation.....
4. 11 Jojo's Babbling in terms of his Acquisition ... .......... ... .. ... ...............
4.12 Jojo's Language Acquisition Development.. . ............ .................. .. .
4.13 Andrew
~s Language Acquisition Devdopment. .. ... ... ... .. . .. . ... ... . .. ...
4.14 Andrew's Overextension of Early Words... .... .. ....... .... . ......... ..... .
14
24
34
39
49
59
60
63
69
72
72
8R
89
92
95
98
98
101
101
z
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m
v
LIST Of DIAGRAM
PAGE
DIAGRAM
4.1 Andrew's Rcs~on
sc
in using Gestures ......... .. .......................... ........... 94
VI
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRAC'l' ... _... ..... ... .. ........................ . .... .. ..... . .. .... ...... ..... . ....... ..
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.. . . . . . . . .. . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . . . . . .. .. . .. . .. . . . . . .. .. .
LIST OF TABLES... .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . . . . .. .. . . .. . . . . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . . . .. . . .. . .. .. . .. ..
LIST Of DIAGRAM . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . .. .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. .. ..
APPENlJ JXES .. . .. . ... ... ... ... ... .. . .. . ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. . ... ... ... .. . ... ... ... .. . ...
TABLE Of CONTENT...... ... .. ...... ... ... ....... .. .... . .. . .. . .. . .. . ... .. . . . . . .. .. . ..
m
v
v1
vii
V II I
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Background of t h~ Study...
1.2. Th ~ Research Problem .... .. ... . . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . . .. . .. .. .. .. . . . . .. .... .. . ..... . .. ..
1.3 The Objective of the Study: .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. .
1.4 The Scope of the Study... ... .. ... ... . ... .. ..... ..... .... .. .. .... ... .. . ... ... .. .....
1.5 The Signi fi cance of the Study... .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . . .. . .. . . .. .. . . . . .. . .. . . .. .. . . . . . .
1
4
5
5
5
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2. 1 So m~
Remarks on Terminology .. .. .... . .. . ... .. ........ ... ..... .... .. ......... . .. .
2.2 Motherese ....... .... .... ..... ........ .. ... .. ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... . .. .... ... ... .
2.2.1 Child-Directed Speech .......... .. ..... . .. .. . ...... ... . .. . ............... .. ..
2.2.2 Caretaker Speech ... ... ..... .... .. .... ...... .. .......... ... ........ . .. .... ... ..
2.2.3 Baby talk .. . ..... . ......... ... ... ... ... .. ... .. .. ... .... .. ... ...... .. . ........ . ..
2.2.4 T he Characteristics of Mothcrcse ... ... ..... . .. . ... ..... ... . .. . ............ ..
2.2.4.1 Prosodic Ft!atures.. . .. . .. .. ............... . .. ....... ....... . ...... ..
2.2.4.2 Lexical Features ... ..... ...... .... .. . .. . ... .. . ... ................ .... ..
2.2.4.3 Complexity Features ... .. ... .. ....... .. . ..... . .............. ..... .. ..
~ .24
Redundancy Features ....... .... . .. . .. ...... .. .... . ........ .... ... .. ..
2.2.4.5 Content F~ature
s ...... ... .. ... ... ... . ............... ...... ..... ... . .. .
2.3 Conversation ............... ................................. .... . . .. . .. . .. .. .......... . .
2.3. 1 Speech Act T heory .. ........... .. .. . ..... .. .. . ... .. . ...... ..... ....... ..... . .. .
2.3.2 Conversation with Young Children.... .. ... ... ... .. . ...... ... .... ..... ... .
2.4. First Language Acquisition ..... ...... . ... ... ... ... ... .. ...................... ..... .
2.4.1 The rssues of Language /\cquis1tion ........... . ... .. . .. .. ....... ...... . .. .
2.4.2 The Cognitive Theory ..... . ... ...... ..... . .. . ... .. . ... ... ..... ..... ... ... .. ..
2.4.3 The Sociallntcractionist Theory .. .... .. . .... .... . .. . ..... .... ... ...... .. . .
2.5 The Stages of Language Acquisition Development... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... ... .
2.5. 1 Babbling to Holophrastic Period .... .. ... ... .. ... .... .. .... .. .. .. . .. .. .. .
2. 6 Words ... .. .. .. .................. ........ ... .. .... ......... .. . ..... ....... ... ... .. .
2.6. 1 Shapes of Early Words . .... .. .. .. ........ ..... .. .. .. .... ........ .... ..
8
ll
12
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15
l7
18
18
20
a
21
')""
... .)
25
28
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32
36
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39
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44
Vlll
CHAPTER lll: M.t:THODOLOGY
3. 1 The Research Design......... ... ............. .. .. .. .. .................. ..............
3.2 The Location of the Study......................... .. ...... .. ............... . .... .. ..
3.3. The Subjects of the Study........... ....... ....... .. ............. ........ ...........
3.3.1 The Caretakers ..... . . .. .. . . . . . .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.3.2 Jonathan Torkis Suranta Sitepu...... ... . .. ... .. . .. . .. . ... ... ... ... .. . . .. ..
3.3.3 Andrew Togar Squall Hutaharat....... ..... ............... ... . . .. . . .. .. ..
3.4 The Source of Data.. ......... ...................... . .. .. . .. . . . . .. . .. . .. . .. .. .. . . .. .. .
3.5 Technique of Data Collection... .. ...... ...... . .. ... ... ... . .. ... ... .. . .. .. . .. .. . ...
3.6. Technique for Data Analysis .. ... . .......... ............ .. .. .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . .. ..
46
47
47
48
50
51
52
52
52
CHAPTER IV: DATA ANALYSIS AND FiNDINGS
4.1 The Data Anal
y~i
.... .. .... . .......... ..
4.1.1 The Caretakers' Conversation Structure ............... ........ . ..... ..... ..
4 . 1.1.1 Tht: Careta kers' Conversation Viewed from Speech Act
Theory ... ... .... ... .. ....... .......... . ........................ .... .. ..
4.1. 2 The Usc of Mother~:
by the Caretakers ..... .. .......... . ........ ...... .. .
4.1.2. 1 Prosodic Features .................................................... .
4.1.2:-2 Lexical Features ....................... .... .............. ............ . .
4.1.2.3 Complexity Features ........ ..... ................. ................. ..
4.1.2.4 Redundancy Fealurt:s ... ......... ...... ......... ...... .............. ..
4.1.2.5 Content Features ........ ................... ................. .... ..... .
4. l .3 The Development of the first Language Acquisition as a result of
. . . . . . . . . .. . Motherese .. . ..... .. ... . ................... ..................... .. ........ . .... .
4. 1. 3. 1 Jonathan T o rk i~ Suranta Sitepu ..... . ............................ .
~.132
Andrew Togar Squall Hutabarat. ..... ......... ..... .............. .
4.2 The Findings. ... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......... , ..... . ........ .. .... .
4.2. 1 The Caretakers· Conversation Structure ............ ... ...... ......... ... ..
4.2.2 The Use ofMothcrcsc by the Caretakers ............. .. . ..... ........... ..
4.2.3 The Development of the First Language Acquisition as a result of
.. ..... .... . Motherese ...... .. ..... .. ............. .... ............. ........... ............ ..
4. 2.3. 1 The Infants' Responses to the Usc of Motherese ... ....... . ..
4.2.3. 1. 1 Jojo's Responses ............... .. . ...... ............. ..
4.3.1. 1.2 Andrew's Responses ........ . .................... ... ..
4.2 The Development of the Infants Fir~t
Language Acquisition ............ ..
4.J.2. 1 Jojo 's Langtlagc Acquisition Development.. ................... .
4.3.2.2 Andrew's Language Acquisition Development. ...... ..... .... ..
54
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60
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67
72
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76
77
78
83
87
87
Cl
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CHAPTER V: CONCLfJSION AND SUGGESTION
5.1 Conclusion ......... ... ..... ...... ... ... .... .... .... ... ... ... ...... ·" ........ .... .. .. ...
5.2 Suggestion.......... ........ ....... ....... ......... ... .... .............. ... ... .. . .. . ...
I 03
105
REfERENCES... .. . . .. . .. . . . . .. .. . .. . . .. . . . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. .. . . .. . ..
107
APPENDIX...... ....................... ........ ......... .. ... ........ .............. ..... ...
llO
IX
CHAPTER I
INTRO.DUCTION
IMIUK PERPUST.AK AA-1\i!
L u Nlfl! E !) ;
1.1 The Background of the Study
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 tollowing examples as found in Fromkin ( 1983 ;21-22) and
in 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
Phyrgian which is the Tndo European language of today's Turkey.
•
King James V from Scotland in the 151h century also perfom1ed a similar
experiment It was reported that the children spoke good Hebrew.
•
111
Akbar a Mogul emperor of lndia in the 16 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
z
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E-9
109
IN
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
BY :
TIARA KRISTINA PASARIBU
REG. NO. :025010067
A THESIS
/MILIK
L
P ERP
A~ ·r :
UNIIl'lc
f) j~
.
Submitted for Graduated Ot>flll Ungui~tc.1,
llNIM.E D
jn partial fulntlmt'nt of the requirements
for the degn<
~ ofMastcr in Hum~wiora
GRAD UATE PRO G RA M
ENGLI S H APPL IED LINGUISTICS
STATE UNIVERSITY O f I'IEDAN
2004
UST~K
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
I
Prof. Dr. Belferik Minullang
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.
November 2004
Medan,
Consultant I
.,
'._,\
.
\
.
;'
\J
\; ~· .
.
·v
f'l
\
----
..,.,.,--
Prof. M. Silitonga Ph.D
·Medan,
November 2004
Consultant II
Prof. Bahre)l Umar Siregar f>h.O
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 Medan.
My deepest thanks is conveyed to my first consultant1 2rof M. Silitonga Ph D
who has given me such priceless guidance. For without his help 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 LTBI 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.
Ill
Twill 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 for being so understanding during the last two and the half years. Without my
husband'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 friends 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
IV
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 juga 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
orang yang dckat padanya.
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.
II
LlST OF TABLE
TABLE
PAGE
2.1 Five Characteristics of Baby talk....... .... . .. .... ................ ........ ........
2.2 Five Categories of Illocutionary Act.c:; ... . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..
2.3 The Four Stages of Sensorimotor Period of Cognitive Development........
2.4 The Deve lopmental Stages of Language.. . ......... ...... ............ ...........
3.1 The List of the tnfants' Caretakers...............................................
4.1 Type of Utterances made towards Jojo by the Caretakers .... .. ... ............
4.2 Type of Utterances made towards Andrew by the Caretakers ......... .... ...
4.3 The Caretakers' Utterances viewed from the Illocutionary Acts..... .. . ....
4.4 List of Lexical Features in "Motherese" employed by the Caretakers. ... .. .
4.5 The Caretakers' use ofVocating and Endearment Tenns... ... ... ... ... ... ...
4.6 The Caretakers' use ofDeitic Terms... ... ... .. . .......... .... . ... ... ......... .. .
4.7 Matrix of Cross Case Analysis Study: The Structure of the Caretakers'
...... Conversation towards Jojo and Andrew ... ................ .. ..... .... ... .. . ..
4.8 Matrix of Cross Case Analysis Study: The usc of Motherese by
...... Caretakers towars Jojo and Andrew .. . .. . ...... .. ... ....... ...... . .. . .. .. ... .
4.9 Jojo's Responses............. ... ........... ... .. .. ................ ...... .............
4.10 The Responses ofthe Infants towards the Caretakers' Conversation.....
4. 11 Jojo's Babbling in terms of his Acquisition ... .......... ... .. ... ...............
4.12 Jojo's Language Acquisition Development.. . ............ .................. .. .
4.13 Andrew
~s Language Acquisition Devdopment. .. ... ... ... .. . .. . ... ... . .. ...
4.14 Andrew's Overextension of Early Words... .... .. ....... .... . ......... ..... .
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LIST Of DIAGRAM
PAGE
DIAGRAM
4.1 Andrew's Rcs~on
sc
in using Gestures ......... .. .......................... ........... 94
VI
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRAC'l' ... _... ..... ... .. ........................ . .... .. ..... . .. .... ...... ..... . ....... ..
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.. . . . . . . . .. . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . . . . . .. .. . .. . .. . . . . . .. .. .
LIST OF TABLES... .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . . . . .. .. . . .. . . . . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . . . .. . . .. . .. .. . .. ..
LIST Of DIAGRAM . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . .. .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. .. ..
APPENlJ JXES .. . .. . ... ... ... ... ... .. . .. . ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. . ... ... ... .. . ... ... ... .. . ...
TABLE Of CONTENT...... ... .. ...... ... ... ....... .. .... . .. . .. . .. . .. . ... .. . . . . . .. .. . ..
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V II I
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Background of t h~ Study...
1.2. Th ~ Research Problem .... .. ... . . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . . .. . .. .. .. .. . . . . .. .... .. . ..... . .. ..
1.3 The Objective of the Study: .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. .
1.4 The Scope of the Study... ... .. ... ... . ... .. ..... ..... .... .. .. .... ... .. . ... ... .. .....
1.5 The Signi fi cance of the Study... .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . . .. . .. . . .. .. . . . . .. . .. . . .. .. . . . . . .
1
4
5
5
5
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2. 1 So m~
Remarks on Terminology .. .. .... . .. . ... .. ........ ... ..... .... .. ......... . .. .
2.2 Motherese ....... .... .... ..... ........ .. ... .. ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... . .. .... ... ... .
2.2.1 Child-Directed Speech .......... .. ..... . .. .. . ...... ... . .. . ............... .. ..
2.2.2 Caretaker Speech ... ... ..... .... .. .... ...... .. .......... ... ........ . .. .... ... ..
2.2.3 Baby talk .. . ..... . ......... ... ... ... ... .. ... .. .. ... .... .. ... ...... .. . ........ . ..
2.2.4 T he Characteristics of Mothcrcse ... ... ..... . .. . ... ..... ... . .. . ............ ..
2.2.4.1 Prosodic Ft!atures.. . .. . .. .. ............... . .. ....... ....... . ...... ..
2.2.4.2 Lexical Features ... ..... ...... .... .. . .. . ... .. . ... ................ .... ..
2.2.4.3 Complexity Features ... .. ... .. ....... .. . ..... . .............. ..... .. ..
~ .24
Redundancy Features ....... .... . .. . .. ...... .. .... . ........ .... ... .. ..
2.2.4.5 Content F~ature
s ...... ... .. ... ... ... . ............... ...... ..... ... . .. .
2.3 Conversation ............... ................................. .... . . .. . .. . .. .. .......... . .
2.3. 1 Speech Act T heory .. ........... .. .. . ..... .. .. . ... .. . ...... ..... ....... ..... . .. .
2.3.2 Conversation with Young Children.... .. ... ... ... .. . ...... ... .... ..... ... .
2.4. First Language Acquisition ..... ...... . ... ... ... ... ... .. ...................... ..... .
2.4.1 The rssues of Language /\cquis1tion ........... . ... .. . .. .. ....... ...... . .. .
2.4.2 The Cognitive Theory ..... . ... ...... ..... . .. . ... .. . ... ... ..... ..... ... ... .. ..
2.4.3 The Sociallntcractionist Theory .. .... .. . .... .... . .. . ..... .... ... ...... .. . .
2.5 The Stages of Language Acquisition Development... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... ... .
2.5. 1 Babbling to Holophrastic Period .... .. ... ... .. ... .... .. .... .. .. .. . .. .. .. .
2. 6 Words ... .. .. .. .................. ........ ... .. .... ......... .. . ..... ....... ... ... .. .
2.6. 1 Shapes of Early Words . .... .. .. .. ........ ..... .. .. .. .... ........ .... ..
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Vlll
CHAPTER lll: M.t:THODOLOGY
3. 1 The Research Design......... ... ............. .. .. .. .. .................. ..............
3.2 The Location of the Study......................... .. ...... .. ............... . .... .. ..
3.3. The Subjects of the Study........... ....... ....... .. ............. ........ ...........
3.3.1 The Caretakers ..... . . .. .. . . . . . .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.3.2 Jonathan Torkis Suranta Sitepu...... ... . .. ... .. . .. . .. . ... ... ... ... .. . . .. ..
3.3.3 Andrew Togar Squall Hutaharat....... ..... ............... ... . . .. . . .. .. ..
3.4 The Source of Data.. ......... ...................... . .. .. . .. . . . . .. . .. . .. . .. .. .. . . .. .. .
3.5 Technique of Data Collection... .. ...... ...... . .. ... ... ... . .. ... ... .. . .. .. . .. .. . ...
3.6. Technique for Data Analysis .. ... . .......... ............ .. .. .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . .. ..
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CHAPTER IV: DATA ANALYSIS AND FiNDINGS
4.1 The Data Anal
y~i
.... .. .... . .......... ..
4.1.1 The Caretakers' Conversation Structure ............... ........ . ..... ..... ..
4 . 1.1.1 Tht: Careta kers' Conversation Viewed from Speech Act
Theory ... ... .... ... .. ....... .......... . ........................ .... .. ..
4.1. 2 The Usc of Mother~:
by the Caretakers ..... .. .......... . ........ ...... .. .
4.1.2. 1 Prosodic Features .................................................... .
4.1.2:-2 Lexical Features ....................... .... .............. ............ . .
4.1.2.3 Complexity Features ........ ..... ................. ................. ..
4.1.2.4 Redundancy Fealurt:s ... ......... ...... ......... ...... .............. ..
4.1.2.5 Content Features ........ ................... ................. .... ..... .
4. l .3 The Development of the first Language Acquisition as a result of
. . . . . . . . . .. . Motherese .. . ..... .. ... . ................... ..................... .. ........ . .... .
4. 1. 3. 1 Jonathan T o rk i~ Suranta Sitepu ..... . ............................ .
~.132
Andrew Togar Squall Hutabarat. ..... ......... ..... .............. .
4.2 The Findings. ... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......... , ..... . ........ .. .... .
4.2. 1 The Caretakers· Conversation Structure ............ ... ...... ......... ... ..
4.2.2 The Use ofMothcrcsc by the Caretakers ............. .. . ..... ........... ..
4.2.3 The Development of the First Language Acquisition as a result of
.. ..... .... . Motherese ...... .. ..... .. ............. .... ............. ........... ............ ..
4. 2.3. 1 The Infants' Responses to the Usc of Motherese ... ....... . ..
4.2.3. 1. 1 Jojo's Responses ............... .. . ...... ............. ..
4.3.1. 1.2 Andrew's Responses ........ . .................... ... ..
4.2 The Development of the Infants Fir~t
Language Acquisition ............ ..
4.J.2. 1 Jojo 's Langtlagc Acquisition Development.. ................... .
4.3.2.2 Andrew's Language Acquisition Development. ...... ..... .... ..
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CHAPTER V: CONCLfJSION AND SUGGESTION
5.1 Conclusion ......... ... ..... ...... ... ... .... .... .... ... ... ... ...... ·" ........ .... .. .. ...
5.2 Suggestion.......... ........ ....... ....... ......... ... .... .............. ... ... .. . .. . ...
I 03
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REfERENCES... .. . . .. . .. . . . . .. .. . .. . . .. . . . .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. .. . . .. . ..
107
APPENDIX...... ....................... ........ ......... .. ... ........ .............. ..... ...
llO
IX
CHAPTER I
INTRO.DUCTION
IMIUK PERPUST.AK AA-1\i!
L u Nlfl! E !) ;
1.1 The Background of the Study
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 tollowing examples as found in Fromkin ( 1983 ;21-22) and
in 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
Phyrgian which is the Tndo European language of today's Turkey.
•
King James V from Scotland in the 151h century also perfom1ed a similar
experiment It was reported that the children spoke good Hebrew.
•
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Akbar a Mogul emperor of lndia in the 16 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
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