CLA: pragmatic development

Question 1

Pragmatics…

Answer 1

… The social aspect of language.

Question 2

George Keith said…

Answer 2

“Pragmatics is all about the meanings between the lexis and the grammar and the phonology…Meanings are implied and the rules being followed are unspoken, unwritten ones.”

Question 3

Del Hymes mentioned…

Answer 3

‘communicative competence’

• When to speak
• How to respond to others
• Appropriate registers

Question 4

Semantics:

Answer 4

the meanings of words and utterances

Question 5

Pragmatics:

Answer 5

the message that is being conveyed when the context of the utterance is understood

Question 6

Why does pragmatic development occur?

Answer 6

On a basic level, as children get older they gain more vocabulary and grammar and can create more sophisticated structures, for example when they learn to form questions.
On a different level, their parents and caregivers become less prepared to respond to blunt and apparently rude demands. They expect their children to recognise the rules of politeness.

Question 7

What are Halliday’s seven functions of language?

Answer 7

Instrumental
Regulatory
Interactional
Personal
Representational
Imaginative
Heuristic

Question 8

Instrumental

Answer 8

Fulfil a need (e.g. ‘want milk’)

Question 9

Regulatory

Answer 9

Influence the behaviour of others (e.g. ‘pick up’)

Question 10

Interactional

Answer 10

Develop and maintain social relationships (e.g. ‘love you’)

Question 11

Personal

Answer 11

Covey individual opinions, ideas and personal identity

Question 12

Representational

Answer 12

Convey facts and information (e.g. ’it hot’)

Question 13

Imaginative

Answer 13

Create an imaginary world and may be seen in play predominantly (e.g. me shopkeeper)

Question 14

Heuristic

Answer 14

Learn about the environment (e.g. ‘wassat?’)

Question 15

Early years…

Answer 15

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.
Child-parent/carer interactions prepare the child for later participation in conversation.

Question 16

First utterances:

Answer 16

statements (rather than questions) and not always directed at anyone!

Question 17

Ages 2 - 4 yrs:

Answer 17

• Significant development in conversational skills:
  
  • Turn taking
  • Response to questions
  • Greetings
  • Politeness forms
• Children develop increased sensitivity to the needs of their listener.
• Greater understanding of language more appropriate to formal situations (register).

Question 18

Later Development:

Answer 18

John Sinclair and Malcolm Coulthard (1975) developed a model for analysing discourse that looked at secondary school classrooms to see the structure of interactions. A three-part structure was identified, following a pattern of initiation, response and feedback. This IRF structure can also be applied to interactions between caregivers and children, as below:

• Initiation: What are you making with that play-dough?
• Response: It is a mermaid.
• Feedback: A mermaid? That’s great. I love its tail.

Question 19

Theory: Lev Vygotsky

Answer 19

Lev, Vygotsky, the Russian psychologist , examined children’s play in the early 1930s. He was particularly interested in pretence play, which begins very early and when the imaginary situation is fairly close to real adult life.
- He referred to an example of a child thrusting a spoon into a doll’s mouth mimicking a doctor who has taken her temperature

Question 20

Theory: Catherine Garvey

Answer 20

• Garvey built on this idea, stating that by creating an imaginary situation, children are unconsciously exploring ideas about social rules and relationships in adult life. They can do this without experiencing the consequences of real life. She said that in practise play, children used:
  
  • Roles or identities which are assigned to participants and imaginary others
  • Plans for actions or storylines which are often combined to create extended dramas
  • Objects and settings
• She called this type of play socio-dramatic play.

Question 21

Theory: Albert Bandura

the bobo doll experiment

Answer 21

Behaviourism:
Children exposed to the violent model tended to imitate the exact behaviour they had observed when the adult was no longer present.
Boys who observed adult males behaving violently were more influenced than those who had observed female models behaving aggressively. Interestingly, the experimenters found in same-sex aggressive groups, boys were more likely to imitate physical acts of violence while girls were more likely to imitate verbal aggression.

Question 22

Politeness

Answer 22

When children first start to use language, it is not confined to naming things or commenting on them. They also use language to participate in social events through ritualised formulas, rules and routines.

Question 23

Theory: Del Hymes

Answer 23

‘communicative competence’

• When to speak
• How to respond to others
• Appropriate registers

Question 24

What are Grice’s four maxims?

Answer 24

The maxim of quantity
The maxim of quality
The maxim of relation
The maxim of manner

Question 25

The maxim of quantity

Answer 25

where one tries to be as informative as one possibly can, and gives as much information as is needed, and no more.

Question 26

The maxim of quality

Answer 26

where one tries to be truthful, and does not give information that is false or that is not supported by evidence.

Question 27

The maxim of relation

Answer 27

where one tries to be relevant, and says things that are pertinent to the discussion.

Question 28

The maxim of manner

Answer 28

, when one tries to be as clear, as brief, and as orderly as one can in what one says, and where one avoids obscurity and ambiguity.