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The pragmatic function of children's questions

S L James, M A Seebach

    Journal of Speech and Hearing Research
    |March 1, 1982
    PubMed
    Summary

    Preschool children

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    Area of Science:

    • Child Development
    • Linguistics
    • Developmental Psychology

    Background:

    • Preschool children's question development is crucial for cognitive and social growth.
    • Understanding the pragmatic functions of questions provides insight into early communication strategies.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the pragmatic functions of spontaneously produced questions by preschool children.
    • To analyze how these question functions evolve with age in early childhood.

    Main Methods:

    • Observational study of 24 typically developing children aged 2-5 years in daycare settings.
    • Categorization of spontaneously produced questions into pragmatic functions: information seeking, conversational, and directive.
    • Analysis of question distribution across age groups.

    Main Results:

    • The primary function of questions shifted from information seeking in 2-3 year olds to a more even distribution across functions in 4-5 year olds.
    • Four-year-olds significantly increased their use of conversational questions compared to other age groups.
    • Children demonstrated a principle of linguistic flexibility, using new forms for old functions and vice versa.

    Conclusions:

    • The pragmatic functions of questions in preschool children diversify with age, reflecting developing communicative competence.
    • Age-related shifts in question use highlight the evolving social and cognitive demands on young children.
    • Children's question development illustrates adaptive language use, aligning with established linguistic principles.

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