Advances in Pragmatics

Pragmatics involves the appropriate use of language in different context. It includes conversational skills. As children get older they are more able to talk about things that are not here. For example, being at the babysitter's house rather than what they are going to do tomorrow, or the next day. At the preschool I work at kids can tell you what they want for lunch, if they like chocolate milk or not, as opposed to when they were younger, and used the two-word stage in language development. Children around the age of 4 use the word the a lot to describe previously mentioned things. Adults use the words an or a. 4 year olds also change their language a lot when talking to younger children. For example, they talk softer and sweeter to those younger then they would to the same aged children. " The advances in early childhood lay the foundation for later development in the elementary school years." (p.294) I remember when I was a young child, even thought my nieces and nephew were not too far in age from me, I would talk to them like they were babies. I would think that I was much older then them and had more control. When I would speak to adults, it was totally different. I looked up to the adult and had absolutely no control.