In this study we tested whether the richness of the home literacy environment, operationalized by the number of baby books at home, influences the language input and thus the language development...Show moreIn this study we tested whether the richness of the home literacy environment, operationalized by the number of baby books at home, influences the language input and thus the language development of the child, taking the parents’ educational level, the infants’ temperament and the number of children in the family into account. A revolutionary device to objectively and directly assess the home language environment was used, the Language Environment Analysis system (LENA). Thirty-seven parent-child dyads were interviewed when their infants were 10-14 months old about the background of the family and the temperament of the child, and a LENA recording was made. Results support previous research on the positive predictive effect of the number of baby books on the number of parent-child interactions and the infants’ language development. The predictive effects of the background variables were mixed. Nevertheless, the results highlight the importance of a rich home literacy environment for parent-child interactions and early language development.Show less
