Lecture Six Pragmatic Development Pragmatics Pragmatics the part

Lecture Six Pragmatic Development

Pragmatics … • Pragmatics = the part played by language in social situations and relationships. • Del Hymes: ‘communicative competence’ ü When to speak ü How to respond to others ü Appropriate registers

Language functions … • Bottom line: children are motivated to acquire language because it serves certain purposes/functions for them. • Halliday (1975): seven functions …

Halliday’s taxonomy … • • INSTRUMENTAL REGULATORY INTERACTIONAL PERSONAL HEURISTIC IMAGINATIVE REPRESENTATIONAL

Be careful … ! • As with other elements of language acquisition, remember that pragmatic development begins before a child starts to speak.

Early years … • Children are introduced to important role of language in everyday life. • Adults speak to them a great deal. • Routine events are accompanied by regularly repeated utterances.

Conversation preparation … • Childparent/carer interactions prepare the child for later participation in conversation.

Bancroft (1996) … • ‘Peek-a-boo’ parallels: ü Turn-taking ü Response ü Common purpose and understand the sequence ü Pleasure

Other interactions … • Despite the fact that the child has not yet begun to speak, adults will: ü Ask questions ü Express agreement ü Give approving/disapproving responses

First conversations … • First utterances: statements (rather than questions) and not always directed at anyone! • Child will often seem to ignore other speaker.

First conversations … • Typical conversation: ü Initiated by adult ü Dependent on continued adult input to progress

Later development … • Age 2 -4: significant development in conversational skills: ü Turn taking ü Response to questions ü Greetings ü Politeness forms

Speech Convergence and Accommodation Theory • Yousef (1991) • Group of children in Trinidad • Children responded to different social situations by using different varieties of English

Speech Convergence and Accommodation Theory • Janet (3, 9): Past tense verb forms: q. Conversation with mother: 100% SE q. Family helper (a Trinidadian English speaker): decreasing amounts q. Brother/same age children: decreasing amounts

After starting school … • Children develop increased sensitivity to the needs of their listener. • Greater understanding of language more appropriate to formal situations (register).

Vocabulary test … • • • COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE LANGUAGE FUNCTION INSTRUMENTAL REGULATORY INTERACTIONAL PERSONAL HEURISTIC IMAGINATIVE REPRESENTATIONAL

Vocabulary test … • SPEECH CONVERGENCE • ACCOMMODATION THEORY • REGISTER