Epistemic Modality in French Children's Discourse [microform] : Certainty and Uncertainty / Dominique Bassano and Others
- Bib ID:
- 5505725
- Format:
- Book and Microform
- Author:
- Bassano, Dominique
- Description:
-
- [Washington, D.C.] : Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse, 1989
- 22 p.
- Summary:
-
This study focused on how French children aged 4, 6, and 8 years evaluate the conditions of use for modal expressions marking certainty and uncertainty in discourse. Children were shown films involving verbal interactions during which one of the protagonists produced a target utterance accusing another character of having performed a deed. Each scenario varied in three ways: (1) presence versus absence of the speaker during the deed; (2) assertive form versus modalized form of the utterance; (3) true assertion versus false assertion. Children were asked to attribute an epistemic state of certainty or uncertainty to the speaker. Results show a clear increase from 4 to 6 to 8 years of age in the attribution of uncertainty, and a developmental progression in children's conceptions of the epistemic categories of certainty and uncertainty. Young children have a realistic conception, mainly determined by the truth/falsity of the utterance. At 8 years of age, the two other factors become more important. Children take into account linguistic markers such as modal devices, and show a metalinguistic and relativized conception of epistemic categories. (Author/DJD)
- Notes:
-
- ERIC Note: Paper presented at the Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development (Kansas City, MO, April 27-30, 1989). For related document, see FL 018 039.
- May also be available online. Address as at 14/8/18: https://eric.ed.gov/
- Reproduction:
- Microfiche. [Washington D.C.]: ERIC Clearinghouse microfiches : positive.
- Subject:
- Available From:
- ERIC
- Copyright:
-
In Copyright
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Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Literary Dramatic Musical
- Published status:
- Published
- Publication date:
- 1989
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