IS POINTING THE ROOT OF THE FOOT?GROUNDING THE 《PROSODIC WORD》 AS A POINTING WORD

摘要

Recently in the Vocalize-to-Localize framework (a functional stance just started in the Interaction Studies 2004-2005 issues we edited, Abry et al., 2004), we addressed the unification of two grounding attempts concerning the syllable and the foot in language ontogeny. Can the movement time of the pointing strokes of a child be predicted from her babbling rhythm? The answer for 6 babies (6-18 months) was a 2:1 pointing-to-syllableratio. Implications for the grounding of the first words within this Pointing Frame will beexamined. More tentatively we will suggest that babbling for protophonology together with pointing for protosyntax pave the way to language.