Vocal Play

Timing
16-30 weeks (Hoff, 2013)

6 – 30 weeks (Yeni-Komshian et al., 1980)

Description

 * The variety of different #consonant-like and #vowel-like sounds increases. (Hoff, 2013)
 * They seem to gain increasing control over the production of their growing repertoires of sounds, and they combine their different sounds into increasingly long and complex series. (Hoff, 2013)


 * Friction noises (Hoff, 2013)


 * “expansion stage” (Oller, 1977), “Exploratory mapping stage” (Zlatin, 1975, Mattingly, 1973). Playful use of behaviours such as squealing, growling, yelling loudly, production of noises by blowing air, food, saliva through a constriction in the mouth or pharynx, and nasal murmurs (Yeni-Komshian 1980:74)
 * Long series of segments are found in which consonantal and vocalic elements both occur but they do not resemble syllables of adult speech in their durational aspects or other articulatory features (*so these elements sound (and ‘act’) like consonants and vowels but aren’t?)
 * Consonantal and vocalic elements that were prominent earlier are combined with each other in novel ways

Marginal Babbling
Vocal play terminates in “marginal babbling” (Oller, 1977), a mixed vocal play (Yeni-Komshian et al., 1980). The long series of sounds produced by the end of this expansion stage: #marginal babbling (Hoff, 2013)