The relationship of suprasegmentals, language, and music abilities

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Tennessee Test of Rhythm and Intonation Patterns (T-TRIP) for measuring suprasegmental patterns of three- and five-year-old children and how this measure related to language and music abilities.

The T-TRIP consisted of 25 prerecorded items with the nonsense syllable /ma/ repeated with variations in rhythm, tempo, and/or intonation. The children were requested to imitate the pattern they heard. Their responses were recorded and judged by a panel of three judges. The T-TRIP scores were compared with a modified version of Seashore's Pitch and Rhythm subtests of Musical Talent (Seashore, l960), the Assessment of Children's Language Comprehension (ACLC) (Foster, Stark, and Giddan, 1972), and the Northwestern Syntax Screening Test (NSST) (Lee, 1969).

The T-TRIP scores were not significantly related to the test scores from the Pitch or the Rhythm Music Test, the ACLC, or the NSST receptive language tests for either three- or five-year-old children. The T-TRIP scores were significantly related to the NSST expressive language test for five-year-olds, but not for the three-year-olds. Item analysis revealed some differences between groups on the three subtests of the T-TRIP and specific test items. The value of the T-TRIP as a measure of suprasegmentals is discussed, and future research needs are suggested.