Vocal sharing in children’s peer groups: when sociolinguistics meets ethology
Abstract
At various phylogenetic levels including humans, one of the consequences of social influence
and learning on vocal production is the emergence of shared vocal structures between group
members. Although sociolinguistics has long described social dialects within social networks
in adults, developmental studies in children are notably lacking. Similarly, animal studies
have considered the functions and the mechanisms of vocal sharing in adults or in adultyoung
relationships, more rarely between young. Thus, we aimed to study whether peers
influence the acquisition of social dialects in young children and how, by combining
sociolinguistic and ethological approaches. Children from the same class in a French nursery
school were observed during two periods over a year. Spontaneous conversations and social
interactions among peers were recorded during free activities, using ethological methods.
Children’s uses of three phonological variables known as social markers in adults were
analyzed in relation to children’s social networks. We found that children’s verbal uses
converged within peer group over time. The density of verbal interactions appeared as a key
factor in the similarity observed in children’s verbal uses.