Exploring conversational implicatures in the comprehension of requests by preschool children of the selected schools in lahore
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Date
2024
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UMT Lahore
Abstract
This research aimed to determine the effects of conversational implicatures on the comprehension of requests by preschool children, one of the most under-researched areas within the linguistic field, even though it supports an integral part of language acquisition and understanding. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-method design incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methods, the study effectively attempted to close this gap. During its quantitative part, preschoolers performed several request comprehension tasks along with standardized language assessments, which enabled an investigation of the relationship between the children’s linguistic developmental milestones and their ability to decode requests embedded with conversational implicatures. Later in the qualitative part, the video-recorded responses to comprehension tasks were transcribed, and a detailed qualitative content analysis was conducted, revealing the subtle cognitive strategies used by children in understanding requests with implied meanings. Anticipated ramifications had theoretical value in promoting the understanding of children’s pragmatic development during their early childhood and highlighting the shaping role of conversational implicatures. Moreover, the originality of the research design, in which the quantitative and qualitative strands are combined, and it helps to develop a broader perspective of how children react to some linguistic subtleties, serves as a helpful knowledge source for the educational practitioners and caregivers aimed at the improvement of communication and language support for young learners