Jessica L. Montag
Differences in sentence complexity in the text of children’s picture books and child-directed speech
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
reading picture books preliterate children associated improved language outcomes causal pathways relationship well understood present analyses focus several syntactic differences text childrens picture books typical childdirected speech aim understanding ways picture book text may systematically differ typical childdirected speech analyses show picture books contain rare complex sentence types including passive sentences sentences containing relative clauses childdirected speech differences patterns language contained picture books typical childdirected speech suggest one important means picture book reading may come associated improved language outcomes providing children types complex language might otherwise rare input