Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Child Dev. 2010 Nov-Dec;81(6):1678-86. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01502.x.
For socially appropriate communication, speakers must command a variety of linguistic styles, or registers, that vary according to social context and social relationships. This study examined preschool children's ability to use a speaker's register choice to infer the identity of their addressee. Four-year-olds could draw correct inferences based on Spanish and formal speech, and had limited success with infant-directed and casual styles. Five-year-olds drew appropriate inferences with all 4 styles; moreover, these children demonstrated strong explicit understanding of register, as measured through response justifications. These results demonstrate that children can use language for social judgments that extend beyond evaluating the speaker, and can interpret social implications of language even when not directly engaged in the particular social interaction.
为了进行恰当的社交沟通，说话者必须掌握各种语言风格或语域，这些语域会根据社会语境和社会关系而有所不同。本研究考察了学龄前儿童根据说话者的语域选择来推断其谈话对象的能力。四岁的儿童可以根据西班牙语和正式演讲做出正确的推断，而对于针对婴儿的和随意的语域则成功有限。五岁的儿童可以用所有四种语域做出适当的推断；此外，这些孩子通过对回答的解释表现出了对语域的强烈明确理解。这些结果表明，儿童可以使用语言进行超出评价说话者的社会判断，并且即使没有直接参与特定的社交互动，也可以解释语言的社会含义。
