Speech Acquisition - Pragmatics

Speech Acquisition - Pragmatics

1. Study of language when it plays in social situations

2. 'Commutative Competence'

   • Using the skills to interact

3. Implicture - What we mean, not what we say

4. Politeness - Using words and phrases to be polite

5. Inference - Interpreting what other mean

6. Children are motivated to learn language as it serves a purpose

7. Halliday (1995) - Several language functions

   • Instrumental - To express a need
   • Regulatory - Used to instruct others
   • Interactional - Make contact and form relationships with others
   • Personal - Express feelings, emotions, opinions and identiy
   • Imaginative - Create an imaginative enviorment
   • Representational - Convey facts and infomation
   • Heuristic - Gain knowledge on the environment

8. Dore - Eight language functions

   • Labelling - Naming an object, person or thing
   • Repeating - Repeating an adults word
   • Answering - Responding to the utterance of another speaker
   • Requesting Action - Asking for something to be done for them
   • Calling - Gaining attention by shouting
   • Greeting - Greeting someone or something
   • Protesting - Objecting to requests from others
   • Practicing - Using language when no other person is present

9. Bancroft (1996) - Parallels between conversation and child games

   • Turn-taking
   • Responding to contributions
   • Common purpose and sequence understanding
   • Participant pleasure

10. First utterances form statements rather than questions

11. Youssef (1991)

    • Found three year old girl spoke 100% Standard English when speaking to the Mother (Who encouraged this)
      • But used less Standard English when speaking to a family helper or siblings (Trinidadian English)