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Games, social exchange and the acquisition of language

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 September 2008

Nancy Ratner  and
Jerome Bruner
Nancy Ratner
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
Jerome Bruner
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
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Abstract

The nature of early games and how they might assist the infant in language acquisition were explored in a longitudinal study of two mother–infant dyads, using video-recordings of their free play. Analysis of appearance and disappearance games, in particular, revealed: (1) a restricted format, with a limited number of semantic elements, and a highly constrained set of semantic relations; (2) a clear repetitive structure, which allowed both for anticipation of the order of events and variation of the individual elements; (3) positions for appropriate vocalizations which could in turn be used to mark variations; and (4) the development of reversible role relationships between mother and child.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Child Language , Volume 5 , Issue 3 , October 1978 , pp. 391 - 401
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1978

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References

REFERENCES

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