In this work all cry vocalizations produced by four subjects observed from four to 10 months of age were analyzed. By means of videorecordings, cries were classified according to three categories, functionally distinguishable from a communicative point of view. Spectrographic analysis showed that the three functional categories differed with respect to different manners of phonation, although the relation between each category and the specific type of phonation was determined by individual preference. Moreover, data showed a relation between duration of vocalization and manner of phonation. On the basis of these results, the author discusses the hypothesis that differences in the functional meaning of cries are marked by some non-segmental regularities.
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