Narration, argumentation and explanation: a study of the discourse units in spontaneous conversations at mealtimes (Narración, argumentación y explicación: un estudio de las unidades de discurso en conversaciones espontáneas durante situaciones de comida)

STEIN, ALEJANDRA; MIGDALEK, MAIA-JULIETA; ROSEMBERG, CELIA-RENATA

Cultura y Educacion

Taylor and Francis Ltd.

Año: 2020 vol. 32 p. 705 - 737

1135-6405

The goal of this article is to contribute to our knowledge of the discursive environment of four-year-old children in which narration, argumentation and explanation occur. Mastery of these discursive forms is a requirement for participating in classroom practices. Even though these discourse units are intertwined in everyday interactions, previous studies prioritized studying them in isolation without examining how they are used together to shape the texture of the conversation. In the study reported here, the structure and interactional prompt of the narrations, explanations and argumentations that occur at mealtimes at home are analysed; specifically, 181 discourse units self-recorded in the homes of 11 four-year-old children from the Argentine middle class were analysed. Differences were found between the units in terms of their frequency, structure (length, presence of embedded units) and interactional prompts, as well as the role of the child when producing them. The potential of mealtime conversations in the acquisition of extended discourse stands out.