Associations Between Pitch (F0) and Language Competence of Four-Year-Old German Children

Author Information

Eugen Zaretsky, Marburg University Hospital, Germany
Benjamin P. Lange, IU International University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Christiane Hey, Marburg University Hospital, Germany

Abstract

Characteristics of children’s voice such as pitch may indirectly reflect some sociodemographic or medical characteristics of children or their families. To our knowledge, no studies exist on a possible link between pitch and language competence. We analysed this link for German four-year-old children. A sample of 496 kindergarten children was tested with the validated language screening “Kindersprachscreening” (KiSS.2): speech comprehension, vocabulary, articulation, grammar, and phonological short-term memory (repetition of non-words and sentences). The latter subtest was utilized for the measurement of children’s pitch (F0). The mean pitch was correlated with KiSS.2 results and sociodemographic characteristics of children and their families that were documented in KiSS.2 questionnaires for parents and kindergarten teachers. Higher pitch was associated with parents’ lower educational level (low but significant correlations). No associations between pitch and KiSS.2 results were found but kindergarten teachers described children with a higher pitch as having more limited German language competence. Successive bilinguals had a somewhat higher pitch than simultaneous bilinguals and were much more often classified in KiSS.2 as needing medical assistance in acquiring German (24.5% vs. 10.7%). No direct associations were found between children’s pitch and German language skills according to KiSS.2. However, children with a higher pitch were more often successive than simultaneous bilinguals and, thus, more often migrants. The socioeconomic status of their families was lower and respective children needed more often medical assistance in acquiring German. Lower body weight of children with a lower socioeconomic status is a well-known finding and probably results in their higher pitch.

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