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Narratives and explanations during mealtime conversations in Norway and the U.S.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 July 2012

Vibeke Grøver Aukrust  and
Catherine E. Snow
Vibeke Grøver Aukrust
Affiliation:
Institute for Educational Research, University of Olso, Postboks 1092 Blindern, 0317 Oslo 3, Norway, [email protected]
Catherine E. Snow
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Larsen Hall, 3rd Floor, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A, [email protected]
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Abstract

Mealtimes reveal culturally specific ways of talking, and constitute opportunities for socialization of children into those ways. In 22 Norwegian families and 22 American families, matched for age and gender of preschoolaged child and for participant constellation, mealtimes were examined for the occurrence and type of narrative and explanatory talk. All indices suggested that the Norwegian families produced more narrative talk – in particular, talk about minor deviations from social scripts – whereas the American families produced more explanatory talk, particularly talk focused on explanations for physical events or for individual behaviors. When Norwegian families gave explanations, they were likely to be focused on social norms and deviations from them, like their narratives. The results are interpreted in relation to the Norwegian cultural values of mitigated collectivism, egalitarianism, homogeneity, and implicit social rules, in contrast to American values of individualism, diversity, and explicit formulation and transmission of civic values. (Socialization, culture, narrative, explanation, family, mealtimes, Norway, USA.)

Type
Research Article
Information
Language in Society , Volume 27 , Issue 2 , April 1998 , pp. 221 - 246
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1998

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