Motherese and the Development of Adult-Infant Communication: A Literature Review With a Proposal For a Microgenetic Analysis Of Mother-Infant Exchanges

A literature review about motherese – a differentiated speech directed to infants – is presented to support a proposal for a microgenetic analysis of mother-infant exchanges. We present the theory of Dynamic Systems, which combines micro and macrogenetic analysis for mapping the process of change of the given phenomenon, and characteristics of motherese that allows us to assume that it integrates the development of mother-infant communication. Instead of dealing with it as a universal phenomenon, we focus on its generality, organizational patterns and variability that result from the adjustment between specific partners. The adult-baby exchanges are taken as co-regulated, exhibiting transformations through its co-constructed history. Our proposal to study motherese is illustrated through examples of a microgenetic analysis of mother’s speech. Keywords: motherese; generality; co-regulation; microgenesis.