May I have this dance? May you have this dance!
Not only is the baby busy teasing out the phonemes of the language but also the elusive rhythm.
What this all means, again, is that there is a good reason to talk to the infant a lot. Not only is he/she busy teasing out the phonemes of the language but also the elusive rhythm.
Understanding the rhythm will set the stage for improved recognition of syllables and words later on down the line.
Inflection is another element of Prosody. When people speak, their voices typically raise and lower in pitch. For example, if one reads the two underlined headings above (May I…, and may you have this dance…), the first will probably end in a rising pitch, while the second will probably fall.
A monotone voice is unnatural and reminds us of computer generated speech, or of speech made via an artificial larynx. This is typical also in Parkinson's disease where control of the vocal folds is weakened.
Learning Prosody can be stressful. Stress is a third component of Prosody.