English-speaking adults' labeling of child- and adult-directed speech across languages

When addressing young children, adults often adjust multiple properties of the language they produce. In fact, one common theory is that child-directed speech (CDS) is a universal speech register that is measurably and hearably distinct from adult-directed speech (ADS) on multiple dimensions (e.g., affect, pitch, rate, complexity). Anthropological research from a variety of under-researched communities, including some English-speaking communities, suggests otherwise; that CDS, when it does occur, does not always exhibit the phonetic or affective tendencies proposed as universal to CDS. We explore the hearable distinctiveness of CDS and ADS according to adult Canadian English speakers listening to two unfamiliar languages (Farsi and Tseltal) in order to better understand what underlies cross-cultural adjustments in adults' speech to children. We ask whether adult listeners are able to identify CDS in an unfamiliar language and what role, if any, positive affect plays in their judgment.