1. Pragmatics
Pragmatics is how words are used in language to create meaning. Typically in small units, only one or a few utterance long. Pragmatic knowledge is the ability to make the right word choices depending on the audience or situation. In academic situations, speech acts are used to support your answer, to check your understanding and knowledge, or to defend your reason or point of view. Children have an inner speech of pragmatics to help them remember, regulate behavior, reason through an issue, or to solve problems.
- Speech Acts can be inter-personal and intra-personal. Interpersonal is using language to create meaning to another person. Intra-personal is understanding the meaning of language within your inner self.
- Gricean Maxim is how one tries to be clear in what they are saying and how much is needed to be said for another to comprehend.
- Turn-taking is knowing when and how you get a turn to talk.
Example of Pragmatics:
Teacher to the children "You need to work together on this project."
Teacher's report to parents "She is learning to cooperate with others."
Within this example, the teacher is expressing to the children what is needed or how he/she wants them to act. When the teacher is reporting to the parent, he/she might take what may seem negative but express it in a more positive way.
2. Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the skill to speak or write eloquently and effectively. It is typical larger units related to a social task or setting. Preschool children used rhetoric when they recite poems, nursery rhymes, and singing songs. They can begin to use rhetoric in chronological narratives when recounting a sequence of events. Older children are able to use rhetoric when delivering a classic narrative, where events build to a high point and then are resolved. There are rules in rhetoric that one must follow in conversations or storytelling. In a conversation between multiple people, you must allow for turn taking and staying on topic that's being discussed.
Type 1:
Type 2:
Teacher: "Class, I would like to you talk within your groups about the differences and similarities of artificial and real flowers."
Group: Child 1- "Real Flowers need water, sun, and air to grow."
Child 2- "Real Flowers are alive."
Child 3- "Artificial flowers last forever and do not die."
Type 2 can be a conversation or group discussion, lesson, or tests. In the example above the teacher is teaching a lesson and the children are having a group discussion about flowers.
Rhetoric in cultural variations:
Latino Children are more likely that others to focus on personal and family relationships. The story elements of plot of events and resolution are of secondary importance.
Working Class African American girls are more likely to use topic-associating narratives. Link episodes to theme and shifts from time and setting.
Teacher to the children "You need to work together on this project."
Teacher's report to parents "She is learning to cooperate with others."
Within this example, the teacher is expressing to the children what is needed or how he/she wants them to act. When the teacher is reporting to the parent, he/she might take what may seem negative but express it in a more positive way.
Primary inter-subjectivity: is strong by about 3 months of age, where the baby starts to match and respond to other's vocal and body gestures.
Secondary inter-subjectivity: is typically by around 9 months of age, where the baby coordinates more with the other person like gazing or pointing at the same object.
Tertiary inter-subjectivity: typically by around 3 years of age, the child can recognize the difference between itself and another person through action, experience, location, feelings, perspectives, and prior knowledge.
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Pragmatics: How to do things with words
(Griffin, 2012)
ACTIVITIES TO BUILD PRAGMATICS
1. Dramatic or role playing
2. Puppets
3. Board Games
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2. Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the skill to speak or write eloquently and effectively. It is typical larger units related to a social task or setting. Preschool children used rhetoric when they recite poems, nursery rhymes, and singing songs. They can begin to use rhetoric in chronological narratives when recounting a sequence of events. Older children are able to use rhetoric when delivering a classic narrative, where events build to a high point and then are resolved. There are rules in rhetoric that one must follow in conversations or storytelling. In a conversation between multiple people, you must allow for turn taking and staying on topic that's being discussed.
Type 1:
Child: "When we were on vacation, we got lost driving to our destination. Then we got a flat tire and had to stand on the side of the road for a tow truck to come. Even though we ran into problems along the way, it was an exciting adventurous vacation."
Type 1 example is when a child is sharing a narrative of an event or memory. It can requires imagination, sequencing of events, story elements, prior knowledge, and keeping the audience attention.
Type 2:
Teacher: "Class, I would like to you talk within your groups about the differences and similarities of artificial and real flowers."
Group: Child 1- "Real Flowers need water, sun, and air to grow."
Child 2- "Real Flowers are alive."
Child 3- "Artificial flowers last forever and do not die."
Type 2 can be a conversation or group discussion, lesson, or tests. In the example above the teacher is teaching a lesson and the children are having a group discussion about flowers.
Rhetoric in cultural variations:
Latino Children are more likely that others to focus on personal and family relationships. The story elements of plot of events and resolution are of secondary importance.
Working Class African American girls are more likely to use topic-associating narratives. Link episodes to theme and shifts from time and setting.
ACTIVITIES TO BUILD RHETORIC
1. Singing Songs
2. Saying Nursery Rhymes
3. Participate in a group discussion
4. Story Finishers- Read a story and leave off the ending and have the child create their own ending to the story
References
Griffin, P. (2012). Language Functions [Powerpoint Presentation]. Retrieved from lecture notes.
Resnick, L. B. et. al. (2008). Speaking and listening for preschool through third grade. University of Pittsburgh and The National Center on Education and the Economy. Washington, D.C.
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