This paper examines the ways in which children engage other family members in participation in pl... more This paper examines the ways in which children engage other family members in participation in play activities. The focus of this article is on when children seek to engage the participation of others in their play. The data for this study are video-recordings of American and Canadian families with at least one child between the ages of three and six. This paper finds that children recruit others to play in two types of interactional environments: after a previous play activity has recognizably ended, or during or after interactional troubles. Findings contribute to studies of play and social interaction, adding to our understanding of context in which children solicit play collaboration from their family members.
Okay is used in different sequential environments for a variety of interactional functions across... more Okay is used in different sequential environments for a variety of interactional functions across languages, but the range of context-specific uses of the particle is not yet fully explored. This conversation analytic study focuses on turn-initial okay in English, specifically in responses to questions where okay does not itself constitute the answer. We argue that okay in responsive position combines the semantics of acceptance and transition for a sequentially particularized use: Okay looks backward to accept the question and mark the speaker's readiness to respond while also looking forward to project talk that is not the conditionally relevant answer. This talk temporarily postpones, but does not move away from, the conditionally relevant answer, and the resulting multi-unit turn architecture that we observe is: Question – Okay + UNIT 1 (not the answer) + UNIT 2 (the answer). Okay projects a ‘detour’ from the asked-for answer in favor of managing aspects of the question or a...
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 2021
This research study explores how children respond to solicitations for updates about their (recen... more This research study explores how children respond to solicitations for updates about their (recent) experiences. Instances of parents soliciting updates from their children were collected from over 30 hours of video-recorded co-present family interactions from 20 different American and Canadian families with at least one child between the ages of 3 and 6. Previous research has documented that caregivers of very young children treat them as being able to disclose about events they have experienced (Kidwell, 2011). In building upon the literature on family communication and parent-child interactions as well as the literature on epistemics, this paper explores the concept of “talking about your day” in everyday co-present family interactions, showing three ways in which parents solicit updates from their children: through report solicitations, tracking inquiries, and asking the child to update someone else. Data are in American and Canadian English.
In this paper we make the case for Shared Language Erosion as a potential explanation for
the neg... more In this paper we make the case for Shared Language Erosion as a potential explanation for the negative outcomes described in the immigrant paradox for second- and third- generation immigrants (e.g., declines in physical, mental, and behavioral health). While not negating the important role of cultural adaptation, we posit that parent-child communication difficulties due to a process we are calling Shared Language Erosion is driving the observed affects previously attributed to changes in cultural values and beliefs. Shared Language Erosion is the process during which adolescents improve their English skills while simultaneously losing or failing to develop their heritage language; at the same time their parents acquire English at a much slower rate. This lack of a common shared language makes it difficult for parents and their adolescent children to effectively communicate with each other, and leads to increased parent-child conflict, reduced parental competence, aggravated preexisting flaws in parent-child attachment, and increased adolescent vulnerability to deviant peer influences.
In this paper I examine how children and their parents engage the participation of others specifi... more In this paper I examine how children and their parents engage the participation of others specifically in the context of play. Video-recorded data from everyday family interactions with at least one child between the ages of 3 and 6 were collected. In this paper I analyze the activity of recruiting, finding that wanna-format recruiting is more versatile than let's-format recruiting. Let's-format recruiting occurs only when the interactants are already engaged in an activity together, whereas wanna-format recruiting can occur then and when the interactants are not engaged together in an activity. This paper has implications for our understanding of participation in the context of play activities and the concept of recruitment. Data are in American and Canadian English.
This paper explores 3- to 6-year-old children’s orientations to the video camera in video recordi... more This paper explores 3- to 6-year-old children’s orientations to the video camera in video recordings of everyday family interactions. Children’s orientations to the video camera in these recordings were identified and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Types of orientations to the video camera included talking about the camera, engaging in camera- directed talk and/or action, and interacting with the camera. In some cases, these orientations occurred after a parent or sibling first oriented to the video camera; however, in other cases no prior orientation was evident. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.
Telling about your day is a documented component of close relationships. In examining nearly 31 h... more Telling about your day is a documented component of close relationships. In examining nearly 31 hours of video-recorded English-speaking American and Canadian families with young children primarily between the ages of three and six, this paper analyses how children solve the problem of producing relevant updates about the goings on of their day. Findings indicate that child-initiated updates are ‘touched off ’ by prior talk or something in the immediate environment. I find that child-initiated updates occur in three sequential environments: (1) when they are prompted by a specific word/ phrase, (2) when they are prompted by an object in the locally immediate environment, and (3) when they are prompted by the local ongoing activity. Importantly, these updates are retrospectively activated in that they are responsive to what just occurred before, but also initiate a new sequence. The updating practices described here provide further evidence of the interactional sophistication of young children in that they show how children can exploit the ongoing environment to deliver updates about their own lives.
Video-mediated technologies enable families with young children to partici- pate in interactions ... more Video-mediated technologies enable families with young children to partici- pate in interactions with remote family members. This article examines how a family with young children uses the affordances of video conferencing to ‘show’ items or themselves. Findings indicate that there are two types of shows in these remote family interactions: those that are designed to receive identification, and those that are designed to receive appreciation and/or assessment. These shows are also often collaboratively produced between a child and her co-present parent. Finally, this paper considers the implications of these shows for our understanding of how families remotely participate in family life. Data are in American English.
In family interactions, children's proper language use often becomes the focus of conversation. D... more In family interactions, children's proper language use often becomes the focus of conversation. Drawing on a primary corpus of nearly 31 h of video recordings of family interactions from 20 families with at least one child between 3 and 6 years of age, this article uses the methodology of conversation analysis to examine how parents and children orient to issues of word meanings. Findings indicate that family members display a KÀ epistemic stance towards word meanings through repair and candidate understandings, and accomplish other actions by displaying a Kþ epistemic stance towards word meanings. This study shows how these orientations to word meanings are not always didactic in nature, but simply part of everyday family life.
At the intersection of epistemics and action: Responding with I know, 2017
We examine I know as a responding action, showing that it claims to accept the grounds of the ini... more We examine I know as a responding action, showing that it claims to accept the grounds of the initiating action, but either resists that action as unnecessary or endorses it, depending on the epistemic environment created by the initiating action. First, in responding to actions that presume an unknowing addressee (e.g., correcting, advising), speakers deploy I know to resist the action as unnecessary while accepting its grounds. Second, in responding to actions that presume a knowing addressee (e.g., some assessments), speakers use I know to endorse the action, claiming an independently reached agreement (in this way, doing “being on the same page”). Data are in American and British English.
This paper examines the ways in which children engage other family members in participation in pl... more This paper examines the ways in which children engage other family members in participation in play activities. The focus of this article is on when children seek to engage the participation of others in their play. The data for this study are video-recordings of American and Canadian families with at least one child between the ages of three and six. This paper finds that children recruit others to play in two types of interactional environments: after a previous play activity has recognizably ended, or during or after interactional troubles. Findings contribute to studies of play and social interaction, adding to our understanding of context in which children solicit play collaboration from their family members.
Okay is used in different sequential environments for a variety of interactional functions across... more Okay is used in different sequential environments for a variety of interactional functions across languages, but the range of context-specific uses of the particle is not yet fully explored. This conversation analytic study focuses on turn-initial okay in English, specifically in responses to questions where okay does not itself constitute the answer. We argue that okay in responsive position combines the semantics of acceptance and transition for a sequentially particularized use: Okay looks backward to accept the question and mark the speaker's readiness to respond while also looking forward to project talk that is not the conditionally relevant answer. This talk temporarily postpones, but does not move away from, the conditionally relevant answer, and the resulting multi-unit turn architecture that we observe is: Question – Okay + UNIT 1 (not the answer) + UNIT 2 (the answer). Okay projects a ‘detour’ from the asked-for answer in favor of managing aspects of the question or a...
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 2021
This research study explores how children respond to solicitations for updates about their (recen... more This research study explores how children respond to solicitations for updates about their (recent) experiences. Instances of parents soliciting updates from their children were collected from over 30 hours of video-recorded co-present family interactions from 20 different American and Canadian families with at least one child between the ages of 3 and 6. Previous research has documented that caregivers of very young children treat them as being able to disclose about events they have experienced (Kidwell, 2011). In building upon the literature on family communication and parent-child interactions as well as the literature on epistemics, this paper explores the concept of “talking about your day” in everyday co-present family interactions, showing three ways in which parents solicit updates from their children: through report solicitations, tracking inquiries, and asking the child to update someone else. Data are in American and Canadian English.
In this paper we make the case for Shared Language Erosion as a potential explanation for
the neg... more In this paper we make the case for Shared Language Erosion as a potential explanation for the negative outcomes described in the immigrant paradox for second- and third- generation immigrants (e.g., declines in physical, mental, and behavioral health). While not negating the important role of cultural adaptation, we posit that parent-child communication difficulties due to a process we are calling Shared Language Erosion is driving the observed affects previously attributed to changes in cultural values and beliefs. Shared Language Erosion is the process during which adolescents improve their English skills while simultaneously losing or failing to develop their heritage language; at the same time their parents acquire English at a much slower rate. This lack of a common shared language makes it difficult for parents and their adolescent children to effectively communicate with each other, and leads to increased parent-child conflict, reduced parental competence, aggravated preexisting flaws in parent-child attachment, and increased adolescent vulnerability to deviant peer influences.
In this paper I examine how children and their parents engage the participation of others specifi... more In this paper I examine how children and their parents engage the participation of others specifically in the context of play. Video-recorded data from everyday family interactions with at least one child between the ages of 3 and 6 were collected. In this paper I analyze the activity of recruiting, finding that wanna-format recruiting is more versatile than let's-format recruiting. Let's-format recruiting occurs only when the interactants are already engaged in an activity together, whereas wanna-format recruiting can occur then and when the interactants are not engaged together in an activity. This paper has implications for our understanding of participation in the context of play activities and the concept of recruitment. Data are in American and Canadian English.
This paper explores 3- to 6-year-old children’s orientations to the video camera in video recordi... more This paper explores 3- to 6-year-old children’s orientations to the video camera in video recordings of everyday family interactions. Children’s orientations to the video camera in these recordings were identified and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Types of orientations to the video camera included talking about the camera, engaging in camera- directed talk and/or action, and interacting with the camera. In some cases, these orientations occurred after a parent or sibling first oriented to the video camera; however, in other cases no prior orientation was evident. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.
Telling about your day is a documented component of close relationships. In examining nearly 31 h... more Telling about your day is a documented component of close relationships. In examining nearly 31 hours of video-recorded English-speaking American and Canadian families with young children primarily between the ages of three and six, this paper analyses how children solve the problem of producing relevant updates about the goings on of their day. Findings indicate that child-initiated updates are ‘touched off ’ by prior talk or something in the immediate environment. I find that child-initiated updates occur in three sequential environments: (1) when they are prompted by a specific word/ phrase, (2) when they are prompted by an object in the locally immediate environment, and (3) when they are prompted by the local ongoing activity. Importantly, these updates are retrospectively activated in that they are responsive to what just occurred before, but also initiate a new sequence. The updating practices described here provide further evidence of the interactional sophistication of young children in that they show how children can exploit the ongoing environment to deliver updates about their own lives.
Video-mediated technologies enable families with young children to partici- pate in interactions ... more Video-mediated technologies enable families with young children to partici- pate in interactions with remote family members. This article examines how a family with young children uses the affordances of video conferencing to ‘show’ items or themselves. Findings indicate that there are two types of shows in these remote family interactions: those that are designed to receive identification, and those that are designed to receive appreciation and/or assessment. These shows are also often collaboratively produced between a child and her co-present parent. Finally, this paper considers the implications of these shows for our understanding of how families remotely participate in family life. Data are in American English.
In family interactions, children's proper language use often becomes the focus of conversation. D... more In family interactions, children's proper language use often becomes the focus of conversation. Drawing on a primary corpus of nearly 31 h of video recordings of family interactions from 20 families with at least one child between 3 and 6 years of age, this article uses the methodology of conversation analysis to examine how parents and children orient to issues of word meanings. Findings indicate that family members display a KÀ epistemic stance towards word meanings through repair and candidate understandings, and accomplish other actions by displaying a Kþ epistemic stance towards word meanings. This study shows how these orientations to word meanings are not always didactic in nature, but simply part of everyday family life.
At the intersection of epistemics and action: Responding with I know, 2017
We examine I know as a responding action, showing that it claims to accept the grounds of the ini... more We examine I know as a responding action, showing that it claims to accept the grounds of the initiating action, but either resists that action as unnecessary or endorses it, depending on the epistemic environment created by the initiating action. First, in responding to actions that presume an unknowing addressee (e.g., correcting, advising), speakers deploy I know to resist the action as unnecessary while accepting its grounds. Second, in responding to actions that presume a knowing addressee (e.g., some assessments), speakers use I know to endorse the action, claiming an independently reached agreement (in this way, doing “being on the same page”). Data are in American and British English.
Uploads
Papers by Darcey K . deSouza
the negative outcomes described in the immigrant paradox for second- and third- generation immigrants
(e.g., declines in physical, mental, and behavioral health). While not negating the important
role of cultural adaptation, we posit that parent-child communication difficulties due to a process we
are calling Shared Language Erosion is driving the observed affects previously attributed to changes
in cultural values and beliefs. Shared Language Erosion is the process during which adolescents
improve their English skills while simultaneously losing or failing to develop their heritage language;
at the same time their parents acquire English at a much slower rate. This lack of a common shared
language makes it difficult for parents and their adolescent children to effectively communicate
with each other, and leads to increased parent-child conflict, reduced parental competence, aggravated
preexisting flaws in parent-child attachment, and increased adolescent vulnerability to deviant
peer influences.
the negative outcomes described in the immigrant paradox for second- and third- generation immigrants
(e.g., declines in physical, mental, and behavioral health). While not negating the important
role of cultural adaptation, we posit that parent-child communication difficulties due to a process we
are calling Shared Language Erosion is driving the observed affects previously attributed to changes
in cultural values and beliefs. Shared Language Erosion is the process during which adolescents
improve their English skills while simultaneously losing or failing to develop their heritage language;
at the same time their parents acquire English at a much slower rate. This lack of a common shared
language makes it difficult for parents and their adolescent children to effectively communicate
with each other, and leads to increased parent-child conflict, reduced parental competence, aggravated
preexisting flaws in parent-child attachment, and increased adolescent vulnerability to deviant
peer influences.