In the context of education research, specific types
of talk that are typical in educational settings have
been identified (e.g., Sinclair & Coulthard 1975,
Mercer & Littleton 2007). It is especially âexploratory
talkâ (e.g., Mercer & Wegerif 1999) that is valued
as educationally productive. Central to this type of
talk is the creation of a dialogic space for possibility
and provisional thinking.
Maine (2015) links this provisionality language
primarily to the use of modals but also phrases such
as I think. This, in turn, closely relates to
research on vague language, i.e., language that is intentionally
(but also unintentionally) strategically imprecise.
Since the publication of the seminal work Vague Language
by Channell (1994), vague language has been recognised
not only as very common in speech but also as a central
aspect of speakersâ communicative competence, and a
number of reasons why speakers use vague language have
been put forward, for example, Rowland (2007) in his
research in the context of mathematics class explores
how students through talk structure their knowledge
and highlights linguistic vagueness as a beneficial
ingredient as they talk their way âtowards mutual understanding
and agreementâ.
This talk, based on data from the DIALLS project, , builds on Cook et al. (forthcoming)
who argue that provisionality language may help to create
a safe and supportive dialogic space for exploration
and elaboration of multiple perspectives, cultivating
thus values of tolerance, empathy and inclusion. Drawing
on data from thirty classrooms in England across three
age groups, I explore how children, by using provisional
and vague language, create and co-construct meaning
from wordless films and seek mutual understanding.
References
Channell, J. (1994). Vague Language. Oxford
University Press.
Cook, V., Maine, F. & Cermakova, A. (forthcoming).
Enabling children to tolerate ambiguity in dialogue:
the role of provisionality in language.
Maine, F. (2015). Dialogic Readers. Children Talking
and Thinking Together About Visual Texts. Routledge.
Mercer, N. & Littleton, K. (2007). Dialogue
and the Development of Childrenâs Thinking: A Socio-Cultural
Approach. Routledge.
Mercer, N. & Wegerif, R. (1999). Is âexploratory
talkâ productive talk? In K. Littleton & P. Light
(Eds), Learning with Computers. Analysing Productive
Interaction, pp. 79-101. Routledge.
Rowland, T. (2007). âWell Maybe Not Exactly but Itâs
Around Fifty Basically?â. Vague Language in Mathematics
Classrooms. In J. Cutting (Ed.), Vague Language Explored.
Palgrave Macmillan.
Sinclair, J. & Coulthard, R. (1975). Towards
an Analysis of Discourse: The English Used by Teachers
and Pupils. Oxford University Press. |
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