Performative Acts Defined by Synchrony among Intonational, Verbal, & Nonverbal Systems in a One and One-Half Year old Child

Analysis was made of the correspondence between intonation and the larger and smaller movements accompanying the two-syllable and longer utterances of an 18 month old child. In the microanalysis of the movements discrete movements were found to occur during the production of each syllable. These syllable level synchronies are discussed in light of a central pacer hypothesis. Macroanalysis (across successive syllables) showed the focus of the intonation pattern to correspond with the achievement of the movements’ intention (as show, give, point, etc.) in 70% of the utterances. This synchrony between peaks of intonation and movement patterns is used to argue for a performative basis for early two-word productions.