Early
language development predicts later reading competence, but does reading to
young children enhance the language interaction between them and their
parents? Automatic assessment of language interaction now yields adult word
counts, conversational turn counts and child vocalization counts. This study
had 98 families return reading activity logs for a day coinciding with
automatic language analysis, and of these, 36 reported reading with their
children aged 26–61 months on that day. Reading periods yielded much higher
adult word counts and conversational turns than non-reading periods,
indicating a greater degree of parent–child language engagement and
interaction during reading periods. Such differences were not evident in
child vocalization. Adult word counts and conversational turns were high
during reading for both high and low education level mothers. Gender effects
during reading were evident for adult word counts (but not conversational
turns or child vocalization), indicating greater adult word counts with male
children. These results have important implications for practical action by
parents.
