A Study of the Development of Children's Mandarin Turn-taking Signals in Taipei Area

• Main Authors: Alice Chio Sio I, 趙小意
• Other Authors: Joseph Hsu
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2000
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/30175539173026883169

碩士 === 輔仁大學 === 語言學研究所 === 88 === Since young children’s turn-taking system is believed to be different from the adults’, this study aims at investigating children’s acquisition of Mandarin turn-taking signals. It is assumed that the distributions of these turn-taking signals will vary. Children at different ages will have different preference patterns for these signals. 27 children aged from 4 to 13 participated in this study. They were divided into 4 age groups. Their conversations were transcribed and the number of turn types and signal types were calculated. 5 turn-yielding verbal signals and 5 turn-requesting verbal signals were categorized based on the data collected. The result of the study shows that younger children do more turn-yielding than turn-requesting. Older children are found to be more capable and willing to request for a turn than younger ones. As for their preference for signal types, it is found that the percentage use of verbal signals increases with age while the percentage use of non-verbal signals decreases with age. Both turn-yielding signals and turn-requesting signals show either one of the tendencies: their frequencies either increase or decrease with age. Signals that show a decreasing tendency are developed earlier in age. On the other hand, signals that show an increasing tendency are acquired later in age. These variations in the preference of turn types and signal types are believed to correlate with children’s cognitive development, linguistic ability, formal education and their development in social interactions.