Children arguing transcript
Girl: yyes
Boy: noo
Girl: if I say yes
Boy: I said no
Girl: if I say yyy (2) es I say yes
(1) if I say no then no
Boy: nooooooo
Girl: I (1) said (1) no
Boy: I said noo first
Girl: I said no first
Boy: nuuh I said no first
Girl: I said no first
Boy: [leans forward towards girl] be quiet
Girl: you be quiet
Boy: [points to girl] now you be quiet nowww
Girl: [points to herself then boy] you be quiet (2)
im four you not four
Boy: yeah am I four you (2) much young
Girl: you (1) [points to boy] are not
four (1) I am four [points to herself]
Boy: no you (1) dis-re-specting
Girl: you are bad [points to boy]
Boy: no (1) you are bad [points at girl]
Girl: [points at boy] imma tell your mum (1) you
will go home
Boy: [lightly pushes girl] go
Girl: [walks away]
Analysis
The
conversation I transcribed was between two four year olds (a boy and a girl)
arguing in a house about who said no first and who is older. The two infants are
friends through there mums ‘’ imma tell your mum you will go home’’ this indicates
that their parents are friends.
They start the conversation by shouting ‘yes’ and ‘no’ by simultaneously shouting simple adverbs to each other it seems they are in the telegraphic stage, and that they can’t form a flowing discourse, neither of them initiate the conversation. For example ‘I said no first’ this is said three times during the conversation, they just switch it too and from each other. However by the age of 3 and definitely four they should be in the post telegraphic stage. Simple sentences are widely used ‘’you be quiet’’ this is a sign of earlier skills of speech normally used by the age of 2. Compound sentences are also used ‘’you are not four I am four’’ by using more than just the simple sentence it shows they have developed their sentence structure skills and are more advanced, however it wasn’t combined with a coordinating conjunction which indicates a child is in the post telegraphic stage. Although some of the lexis they use is a lot more progressed by not being stuck in one tense, as children in the telegraphic stage talk about the present tense ‘’you will go home’’ this shows she understands tenses when speaking she doesn’t just say ‘’you go home’’ which a child stuck in the telegraphic stage would say.
They start the conversation by shouting ‘yes’ and ‘no’ by simultaneously shouting simple adverbs to each other it seems they are in the telegraphic stage, and that they can’t form a flowing discourse, neither of them initiate the conversation. For example ‘I said no first’ this is said three times during the conversation, they just switch it too and from each other. However by the age of 3 and definitely four they should be in the post telegraphic stage. Simple sentences are widely used ‘’you be quiet’’ this is a sign of earlier skills of speech normally used by the age of 2. Compound sentences are also used ‘’you are not four I am four’’ by using more than just the simple sentence it shows they have developed their sentence structure skills and are more advanced, however it wasn’t combined with a coordinating conjunction which indicates a child is in the post telegraphic stage. Although some of the lexis they use is a lot more progressed by not being stuck in one tense, as children in the telegraphic stage talk about the present tense ‘’you will go home’’ this shows she understands tenses when speaking she doesn’t just say ‘’you go home’’ which a child stuck in the telegraphic stage would say.
