Two Pragmatic Principles in Language Use and Acquisition
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Eve V. Clark
Abstract
Speakers, adults and children, rely on two pragmatic principles in language use: conventionality in the meanings of the words chosen to convey their intentions, and contrast among these meanings. Early recognition of these two principles allows children to add readily to their lexical repertoire on the assumption from contrast that any difference in form marks some difference in meaning. Evidence for the role of these principles in acquisition comes from early word uses, adherence to the word(s) learnt for a category, repairs to lexical choices, the construction of lexical domains, and patterns of acquisition in the uptake of unfamiliar words.
Abstract
Speakers, adults and children, rely on two pragmatic principles in language use: conventionality in the meanings of the words chosen to convey their intentions, and contrast among these meanings. Early recognition of these two principles allows children to add readily to their lexical repertoire on the assumption from contrast that any difference in form marks some difference in meaning. Evidence for the role of these principles in acquisition comes from early word uses, adherence to the word(s) learnt for a category, repairs to lexical choices, the construction of lexical domains, and patterns of acquisition in the uptake of unfamiliar words.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- The communicative infant from 0-18 months 13
- The development of speech acts 37
- Turn-taking 53
- Conversation Analysis and pragmatic development 71
- Ontogenetic Constraints on Grice’s Theory of Communication 87
- Two Pragmatic Principles in Language Use and Acquisition 105
- Learning conventions and conventionality through conversation 121
- The pragmatics of word learning 139
- The production and comprehension of referring expressions 161
- Scalar Implicature 183
- Children’s pragmatic use of prosodic prominence 199
- The Pragmatic Development of Humor 219
- “The elevator’s buttocks” 239
- Irony production and comprehension 261
- Narrative Development across Cultural Contexts 279
- Children’s understanding of linguistic expressions of certainty and evidentiality 295
- Crosslinguistic and crosscultural approaches to pragmatic development 317
- Atypical pragmatic development 343
- Assessing pragmatic language functioning in young children 363
- Developmental pragmatics 387
- Index 393
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- The communicative infant from 0-18 months 13
- The development of speech acts 37
- Turn-taking 53
- Conversation Analysis and pragmatic development 71
- Ontogenetic Constraints on Grice’s Theory of Communication 87
- Two Pragmatic Principles in Language Use and Acquisition 105
- Learning conventions and conventionality through conversation 121
- The pragmatics of word learning 139
- The production and comprehension of referring expressions 161
- Scalar Implicature 183
- Children’s pragmatic use of prosodic prominence 199
- The Pragmatic Development of Humor 219
- “The elevator’s buttocks” 239
- Irony production and comprehension 261
- Narrative Development across Cultural Contexts 279
- Children’s understanding of linguistic expressions of certainty and evidentiality 295
- Crosslinguistic and crosscultural approaches to pragmatic development 317
- Atypical pragmatic development 343
- Assessing pragmatic language functioning in young children 363
- Developmental pragmatics 387
- Index 393
