Adult Beliefs about the Acquisition of Pragmatic Skills

An investigation was made of the role of parents in children's acquisition of pragmatic language skills (in other words, their ability to use language appropriately in social contexts). A total of 49 middle class adults completed questionnaires; 9 were parents, 15 were teachers, 9 were both tea...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author Becker, Judith A
Format Report
LanguageEnglish
Published 01.04.1984
Subjects
Beliefs
Child Language
Children
Communication Skills
Language Acquisition
Parent Attitudes
Parent Influence
Politeness
Pragmatics
Socialization
Teacher Attitudes
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary:An investigation was made of the role of parents in children's acquisition of pragmatic language skills (in other words, their ability to use language appropriately in social contexts). A total of 49 middle class adults completed questionnaires; 9 were parents, 15 were teachers, 9 were both teachers and parents, and 16 were neither. The first part of the questionnaire involved a series of inquiries about eight specific pragmatic abilities. The second part included questions about the stability of both inappropriate and appropriate pragmatic behaviors. Most subjects said that parents are influential in children's acquisition of pragmatic skills. In general, subjects did not expect sex differences in the acquisition of such skills. A majority of subjects did not believe critical periods exist in which pragmatic skills must be acquired. Finally, subjects predicted that desirable pragmatic behaviors would be more stable than undesirable behaviors. (RH)