2. Pragmatic development in a first language: An overview
-
Sandrine Zufferey
Abstract
This chapter presents an overview of children’s developing pragmatic competencies, a term broadly defined as the ability to understand and use language appropriately in context. Pragmatic competencies thus defined include both the ability to adapt one’s language depending on social contexts of interaction, and to enrich the linguistic meaning of sentences to access the speaker’s explicit and implicit meaning. We provide evidence that the acquisition of pragmatic competencies spans over a long period of time: while some pragmatic competencies are already operational in preverbal infants, others first appear or keep on maturing until late during childhood. We review the cognitive, social and linguistic factors that account for this variability, and discuss how methodological differences between studies impact on the observed age of acquisition.
Abstract
This chapter presents an overview of children’s developing pragmatic competencies, a term broadly defined as the ability to understand and use language appropriately in context. Pragmatic competencies thus defined include both the ability to adapt one’s language depending on social contexts of interaction, and to enrich the linguistic meaning of sentences to access the speaker’s explicit and implicit meaning. We provide evidence that the acquisition of pragmatic competencies spans over a long period of time: while some pragmatic competencies are already operational in preverbal infants, others first appear or keep on maturing until late during childhood. We review the cognitive, social and linguistic factors that account for this variability, and discuss how methodological differences between studies impact on the observed age of acquisition.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Preface to the handbook series v
- Preface to Developmental and Clinical Pragmatics ix
- Table of contents xi
- 1. Pragmatic competence: Development and impairment 1
-
I. Pragmatic development in a first language
- 2. Pragmatic development in a first language: An overview 33
- 3. Communicative act development 61
- 4. Acquisition of epistemic and evidential expressions 89
- 5. Acquiring implicatures 119
- 6. Acquiring irony 149
- 7. Acquiring prosody 177
- 8. Pragmatic development in the (middle and) later stages of life 209
-
II. Pragmatic development in a second language
- 9. Pragmatic development in L2: An overview 237
- 10. Teaching speech acts in a second language 269
- 11. Learning how to interpret indirectness in an L2 301
- 12. Comprehension of implicatures and humor in a second language 331
- 13. Pragmatic transfer 361
- 14. Developing pragmatic awareness 393
- 15. Developing pragmatic competence in a study abroad context 429
- 16. Testing pragmatic competence in a second language 475
-
III. Pragmatic disorders
- 17. Pragmatic disorders: An overview 499
- 18. Pragmatic competence in autism spectrum disorders 523
- 19. Pragmatic competence in Down syndrome 545
- 20. Pragmatic competence in aphasia 581
- 21. Pragmatics and dementia 611
- 22. Assessing pragmatic competence in developmental disorders 647
- Contributors 681
- Name Index 691
- Subject Index 711
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Preface to the handbook series v
- Preface to Developmental and Clinical Pragmatics ix
- Table of contents xi
- 1. Pragmatic competence: Development and impairment 1
-
I. Pragmatic development in a first language
- 2. Pragmatic development in a first language: An overview 33
- 3. Communicative act development 61
- 4. Acquisition of epistemic and evidential expressions 89
- 5. Acquiring implicatures 119
- 6. Acquiring irony 149
- 7. Acquiring prosody 177
- 8. Pragmatic development in the (middle and) later stages of life 209
-
II. Pragmatic development in a second language
- 9. Pragmatic development in L2: An overview 237
- 10. Teaching speech acts in a second language 269
- 11. Learning how to interpret indirectness in an L2 301
- 12. Comprehension of implicatures and humor in a second language 331
- 13. Pragmatic transfer 361
- 14. Developing pragmatic awareness 393
- 15. Developing pragmatic competence in a study abroad context 429
- 16. Testing pragmatic competence in a second language 475
-
III. Pragmatic disorders
- 17. Pragmatic disorders: An overview 499
- 18. Pragmatic competence in autism spectrum disorders 523
- 19. Pragmatic competence in Down syndrome 545
- 20. Pragmatic competence in aphasia 581
- 21. Pragmatics and dementia 611
- 22. Assessing pragmatic competence in developmental disorders 647
- Contributors 681
- Name Index 691
- Subject Index 711
