As discussed in class, Zach uses a number of non standard language in this transcipt, this is all due to his age and him still being in the telegraphic stage, as he will gets older he will move out of this. Halla uses a number of Child Directed Speech techniques to help her communicate with her son. I did two quantified two interesting aspects of the transcript, these were how many times repition was used by Halla and the second being the number of tag questions that were used.
I counted that Halla repeated Zach 9 times:
- Z: I cutting round the edge (.) so it doesn't/get sharp H: so it doesn't get sharp?
- Z: I dont know (0.5) where's my little pad gone? H: where is your little pad?
- Z: uh (1) here it is H: here it is (12) what are you drawing (.) Zach?
- Z: a banana (0.5)and 3 things in the banana (0.5) H: a banana and what? (.) 3 things?
- Z: yes (.) for the banana H: for the banana (.)
- Z: erm (.) I got food on the floor H: yeah you threw food on the floor (1)
- Z: I think I don't H: nah I think you don't (4) you wanted/ to do some drawing
- Z: it doesn't go frough H: it doesn't go through? (.) why not?
- Z: and bolognay H: and bolognaise (.) yes (3)
I can only speculate on why these forms of CDS was used, but its could be argued that repetition was used as a technique to encourage Zach to speak. By repeating what he says enables him to either say "yes" or "no as confirmation, or to expand on what he was saying, this therefore allows him to develop his speech. Another reason for repetition may be because Zach may not be completely understood yet, and my repeating what he said gives him an opportunity to correct himself if that's not what he meant to say.
Good noticing of a pattern/significant technique and following it throughout. It is worth looking at the ones that stand out e.g. the change from "I got" to "you threw". The echoing is a kind of positive reinforcement to confirm that Z has made himself understood and any repairs or modelling will help him to understand what an adult version of the utterance is. But the example I just gave is a deliberate rephrasing for effect: I am admonishing Z for throwing food on the floor whereas he has used a verb that avoids reference to this discouraged behaviour ("got"). It can also be used to keep him driving the conversation forward by not setting an agenda myself or, as you say, to provide him an opportunity to clarify - especially with the "three things in a banana" situation.
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