title: Function of infant-directed speech.
abstract: The relationship between a biological process and a behavioral trait indicates a proximate mechanism by which natural selection can act. In that context, examining an aspect of infant health is one method of investigating the adaptive significance of infant-directed speech (ID speech), and it could help to explain the widespread use of this communication style. The correlation between infant growth and infant-directed speech is positive and significant, and provides a vehicle for testing evolutionary history hypotheses.
authors.affiliation: University of Cambridge, USA. marilee-monnot@ouhsc.edu.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monnot
keywords: Adaptation; Emotional prosody; Human evolution; Infant growth; Infant-directed speech; Mother-infant interaction; Motherese; Semantic category; Universality