Content of Infant-Directed Speech: Are Turkish Mothers More Affective or Informative?

This study explores the use of information-salient and affect-salient content in Turkish mothers’ infant-directed speech, investigating maternal (age, education, stress, number of children) and infant-related factors (age, gender, birth status). Thirty-seven mothers recorded five minutes of interactions with their infants, aged 7 to 19 months. Affect-salient and information-salient utterances were coded from the recordings of mother-infant dyads. The findings indicate that Turkish mothers more frequently used information-salient utterances, like directives, questions and reports, emphasizing information transmission. Affect-salient expressions were used less often; within this category, the most common were play utterances, endearments, and non-lexical vocalizations. These types of expressions are thought to serve functions such as fostering connection and capturing the infant’s attention. Furthermore, it was found that as mothers’ education levels increased, the use of affect-salient expressions decreased, whereas with increasing infant age, the use of information-salient expressions increased. Overall, findings reflect Turkey's parenting style of warmth and control, balancing cognitive stimulation with emotional bonding.