Manifestations of nannies` language in everyday communication between mother and child: pedagogical aspect

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Institute of Pedagogy

University of Zielona Gora

MANIFESTATIONS OF NANNIES' LANGUAGE IN EVERYDAY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN MOTHER AND CHILD: PEDAGOGICAL ASPECT

Anita Famula-Jurczak, PhD, Professor

Abstract

language children babysitter communicating

The article substantiates the importance of nannies' language for the children's development, namely the danger of long-term use of the phonetic, morphological and syntactic properties of babysitters' language in the process of communicating with the child. The theoretical positions that are the basis for the analysis of the collected research material are related to the theories of symbolic interactionism, constructivism, and the ecological theory of human development. In the research it is assumed that the child's development is dynamic and occurs as a result of structuring and restructuring the experience gained during interaction. It is confirmed that development takes place in a certain environment, but it is worth remembering that the child is not a passive imitator of the stimuli, but as a result of mutual interaction with the environment. The child begins to form one's own image of the surrounding world. It has been found that language serves as one of the elements that allow a person to build an idea of the surrounding reality in mind.

The article emphasizes the importance of speech and, more broadly, communicative competences for a child's development. The results of a study conducted among mothers of twoto three-yearold children are presented. Considering this stage of the child's development is considered special because of the phase of the child's speech development, as well as the formation of personality. The study presents a diagnostic survey and includes free communication between mother and child.

The paper outlines the characteristic properties of the language of nannies. Based on the results of the study, the consequences for the development of long-term use of nanny's language by adults are shown. The article emphasizes the importance and influence of the communication skills and abilities of babysitters and parents on the child's development and further education, as well as the importance of pedagogical support for effective communication in early childhood.

Keywords; speech, language, symbolic interactionism, development, pedagogical support.

АНОТАЦІЯ

Фамула-Юрчак Аніта. Особливості мови няні в повсякденному спілкуванні між матір'ю та дитиною: педагогічний аспект. Журнал Прикарпатського університету імені Василя Стефаника, 11 (1) (2024), 130-137.

У статті обґрунтовано значення мови нянь для розвитку дитини, а саме небезпеку тривалого використання фонетичних, морфологічних і синтаксичних властивостей мови нянь у процесі спілкування з дитиною. Теоретичні положення, які є основою для аналізу зібраного дослідницького матеріалу, є дотичними до теорій символічного інтеракціонізму, конструктивізму та екологічної теорії розвитку людини. У процесі дослідження передбачалося, що розвиток дитини є динамічним і відбувається в результаті структурування та перебудови досвіду, отриманого під час взаємодії. Підтверджено, що розвиток відбувається в певному середовищі, однак варто пам'ятати, що дитина не є пасивним імітатором подразників, які надходять до неї, а в результаті взаємної взаємодії з навколишнім середовищем у неї починає формуватися власний образ навколишнього світу. З'ясовано, що мова слугує одним із елементів, які дозволяють людині будувати у своїй свідомості уявлення про навколишню дійсність. У статті підкреслено важливість мовленнєвої та, ширше, комунікативної компетентностей для розвитку дитини. Представлено результати дослідження, проведеного серед матерів дітей від двох до трьох років. Врахування цього етапу розвитку дитини вважається особливим через етап розвитку мовлення дитини, а також через становлення власної особистості. Дослідження проводилося шляхом діагностичного опитування та включало вільне спілкування матері та дитини. Дослідження презентує характерні властивості мови нянь. На основі отриманих результатів дослідження показано наслідки для розвитку тривалого використання дорослими мови няні. У статті наголошено на значенні та впливі комунікативних умінь і навичок нянь, батьків дитини на її розвиток та подальше виховання, а також важливості педагогічного супроводу для ефективного спілкування у ранньому дитинстві.

Ключові слова: мовлення, мова, символічний інтеракціонізм, розвиток, педагогічний супровід.

INTRODUCTION

The aim of the article is to present the results of research among mothers of children.

The first part of the text is explained as it deals with the concept of social language and the understanding of language. The second part presents the research methodology and the results of the analysis of the collected material.

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

The issue of language is dealt with by representatives of various fields of knowledge, but for the purposes of this text I assume that language is "(...) a set of socially created and binding sound signs (or secondary written ones) and rules determining their use, and functioning as a tool of social communication" (Gof^b, Heinz, & Polanski, 1970). Therefore, we can say that these are signs and rules or words and rules that determine the meaning of these signs. This understanding of language reveals the existence of two classes (Martinet, 1960; Milewski, 1965). At the first level, morphological rules are created, i.e. meaningless phonemes are created. The second level is syntactic rules, i.e. sentences are created from the morphemes/words created at the first level. It is worth emphasizing that in addition to sound signs, there may also appear signs with characteristic morphology and syntax (cf. Tomaszewski, 2010, 2011). In the communication process, it is important not only to produce signs and apply rules, but also cognitive functions and the presence of rules for human social functioning. And at this point it is worth referring to the definition of speech presented for the purposes of speech therapy activities by S. Grabias. The author believes that speech is "a set of activities that a person performs with the use of language to learn about reality and convey its interpretation to other participants of social life" (Grabias, 2001, p. 11). According to S. Grabias, in every human communication behavior, individual behavior and behavior common to all members of a given social group in which a person functions should be distinguished. Speech is conditioned by the functioning of three spheres: biological and physical (operation of the transmitting and receiving apparatus), mental (abstract system of signs and grammatical rules) and social. The social layer can be described in terms of linguistic competences defined by S. Grabias as a certain "mental ability that allows one to build any number of sentences from a finite set of linguistic elements and to distinguish grammatically correct sentences from incorrect ones" (Grabias, 1997b, p. 34). The character of a statement is determined not only by grammar but also by the conscious or unconscious rules of using language in various situations created by the community and the experience of the speaker. The ability to use language in various situations was defined by Dell Hymes as communicative competence. As I. Kurcz points out, the concept of communicative competence is being discussed and reinterpreted again and is sometimes called "linguistic knowledge" in "reference to the total ability to use a language, i.e. the ability to understand and create sentences in a given language (strictly linguistic competence) and to use this ability" in social interactions (communicative or pragmatic competence) (Kurcz, 2005, p. 100).

The primary role in developing linguistic and communicative competences is played by language, which is assigned the following functions: communicative, cognitive, expressive and representational. In the area of the communication function, an individual has the opportunity to exchange experiences, observations and information with the environment. Language - and specifically its components, means, and rules governing it - provide the individual with the opportunity to describe, explain, and organize reality. Vocabulary relating to the reality around us allows to create representations of the world, which in turn contributes to cognitive development. With the help of the expressive function, where we are able to reveal our attitude to reality (make a note on the function of language). Psychologists pay attention to the importance of communication in a child's development, emphasizing that thanks to speech the child is able to explore and control the world, express his or her thoughts, ideas and needs, and this is the basis for more effective ways of acting, effective communication and social functioning (Brzezinska, Appelt, & Ziolkowska, 2015).

Since language is an important element of communication competences, it is worth considering and asking how a child learns a language? Due to the theoretical framework adopted in this text, I focus not on behavioral or nativist concepts, but present the assumptions of the interactionist and constructivist approaches. According to B. Bokus and G. W. Shugar (2007), a child's speech is shaped during his or her existence in society, and the purpose of language is to communicate with others. A slightly newer approach to language acquisition by an individual is taken by representatives of symbolic interactionism and constructivism (cf.: Balachowicz, 2003; Bruner, 2006; Filipiak, 2002; Klus -Stanska, 2000, Wygotsky, 1971, 2002). Development - according to J. Bruner (2006) - is a dynamic, socially conditioned process that takes place with the participation of language and communication.

Assuming that the primary function of language is communication, when learning a language, a child discovers and acquires conventional ways of using it, and this happens in contacts with other people. When interacting with adults, a child not only acquires language understood as a system of grammatical rules, but also internalizes the skills necessary to use it and, most importantly, learns to adapt linguistic behavior to various communication contexts. It should be noted that learning - according to the assumptions of constructivism - occurs when an individual, analyzing individual experiences, constructs his or her own understanding of the world. In this approach, the child is not a passive participant in the interaction, but an active constructor of his or her own theories and, based on his or her own experiences, builds an understanding of reality (Klus-Stanska, 2000, pp. 74-150). How does a child acquire language? Although the time it takes for children to achieve individual language skills varies, the sequence of language acquisition phases is constant. The first stage of language acquisition is referred to as the pre-linguistic phase, which develops in the first year of an individual's life. The forms of activity at this stage include talking and babbling, and communicating with the environment is non-verbal. In the second phase of language development, single-word utterances appear and speech is used to communicate with the environment. Over time, one-word utterances are replaced by sentences, the phraseological system is developed and the beginnings of inflection are mastered. The process of understanding is developed very intensively. At the end of the second year of life, the third phase of language development occurs. The child slowly develops the process of grammaticalization of utterances. The fourth phase of language acquisition occurs in the preschool period. At this stage, the child has mastered the basics of the language in its phonological, morphological and syntactic dimensions. The child has such a vocabulary and knowledge of grammatical rules that allow speech to become independent of the situational context, which makes statements fully understandable to the environment (Wood, 2006; Kurcz, 2000; Kielar-Turska, 2012; Grabias, 2010; Kaczmarek, 1988).

If a child's speech is created in interaction with the immediate environment, then the way the child will speak undoubtedly depends on the influence of the family environment. According to the assumption presented by U. Bronfenbrenner (1998), in the ecosystem model, the human functioning environment is a dynamic system of interdependent subsystems, i.e. micro-, meso-, exo-, macroand. The family as a set of environmental and social conditions is the primary context of development (Bronfenbrenner, 1979).

We observe the importance of the family for a child's development from an early stage of its development. During this period, social interactions are based on a strong emotional bond. The interactions that take place in the family environment constitute the glue of the fabric of the family as a system (Tyszkowa, 1990, 1996) and are the result of the mutual influence of family members. Experiences gained from the family environment play a significant role in stimulating the development of human communication competences. Researchers point out that in the process of communication between adults and children, we can distinguish the emergence of "nanny language", which is used primarily in contact with infants and consists in adults, especially parents, caregivers and older siblings, imitating and maintaining the peculiarities of the children's language (Kaczmarek; 1988; Milewski, 1996).

To sum up this part of the considerations, several basic conclusions can be drawn. Firstly, a child's development takes place in a specific environment, which becomes a space for him/her to gain experience. Secondly, the child is not a passive imitator of the patterns passed on to him/her, but through interaction the child tries to create reality and influence interlocutors. Thirdly, the adult environment should provide the young individual with correct language patterns so that he or she will be able to master the correct forms of communication and expand his or her environmental contacts. The above considerations constituted the basis for constructing methodological assumptions and conducting research, the results of which are to be presented later in the text.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE, METHODOLOGY AND DATA

The research was carried out as part of the One, two, three - you say project.

The aim of the research was to identify the scope of occurrence of individual properties of the nannies' language in mother-child communication. The research was conducted among 215 mothers who came with their child for a speech therapy diagnosis.

Research problems:

1. To what extent do individual elements of the nannies' language appear during mother -child communication? In detail, answers were sought to the following questions:

1.1. To what extent are the phonetic properties of the nannies' language present in mother-child communication?

1.2. To what extent are morphological properties of the nannies' language present in mother -child communication?

1.3. To what extent are there syntactical problems in the nannies' language in mother -child communication?

The statements of 176 mothers were selected for analysis, as the remaining mothers were not found to use the nannies' language. The mothers' statem ents were recorded and then the collected material was analyzed to find answers to the research questions. In the statements of the mothers surveyed, attention was drawn to the phonological properties of the nannies' language; morphological properties and syntactic problems. In the area of phonological properties, substitutions, elisions and reductions of consonant groups were distinguished.

The communicative interaction of an adult with a child influences the phonetic side of the utterance, with prosodic means of utterance playing an important role. According to S. Milewski, the child reacts fastest to these elements because they are the carrier of emotions and it is this layer that the child masters the fastest. The mothers' statements included substitutions, elisions and reductions of consonant groups. The detailed data distribution is presented in Tab. 1.

Tab. 1

Phonetic properties of the nannies' language appearing in the statements of the studied mothers

Source: own research

Substitutions appeared most often in mothers' statements. More than four fifths of the surveyed mothers (148 people; 84.09%) replaced sounds in their statements with other sounds in their statements addressed to their children. Table 2 lists the consonant groups that mothers replaced during their utterances.

Tab. 2

Substytucje grup spolgloskowych w wypowiedziach matek

Source: own research

The most common substitution occurs within the consonants [r] [l]. The mothers' statements to their children included phrases such as: dobli, lobic, tloske, moklo. Looking at the periodization of the appearance of sounds in the child's articulation, it is worth noting that the consonant [r] appears the latest. Therefore, it can be assumed that parents "intuitively" replace a sound tha t is difficult to articulate with an easier one. Almost every second mother surveyed (73 people; i.e. 49.34%) - in the group of mothers using substitution - substituted replacing hissing consonants [s, c, z] with hissing ones [s, c, z], e.g.: kseseiko, bulecka, zucii, dziewcynka, tabletecki, psetskolu, kosycek, patsy. Considering the arrangement of articulators and the place of articulation of the sound, the use of substitutions by mothers may pose a risk of the child acquiring inappropriate linguistic patterns. Another group of consonants that were changed by mothers are sounds from the hissing and hissing series with silent sounds [s, c, z]. Such a substitution was noted in 54 respondents (36.49%). Here, sample statements from mothers were: dobze, gzecna, culunka.

In the statements addressed to the child by the mothers examined, there also appeared elisions, i.e. a method of articulation that involves not pronouncing (not realizing) the phoneme in the form of a separate segment (sound). Analyzing the collected material in terms of the classification of elisions proposed by J. T. Kama (1982) in speech therapy, it can be said that partial elision appeared in the mothers' utterances (124 people, 70.45%), which is characterized by the fact that there is a segment adjacent to the omitted phoneme the vocalic (vowel) is pronounced longer (it undergoes substitutional lengthening), e.g. kuuka instead of kurka, or when a pause appears instead of the dropped phoneme (noiseless element), e.g. ku-ka instead of kurka.

The realization of consonant groups is one of the phenomena that, due to research difficulties, including the lack of a tool to study them or the current development of norms regarding the realization appropriate for a given age, still requires careful analys is (Milewski 2017; Kama 2001; & Binkunska 2017). The presented research focused on the dominant phenomena regarding deviations from the norm, such as reductions of consonant groups and hypercorrectness. The results were based on the phonological system proposed by B. Rociawski (2010), containing the following consonant phonemes: /p, b, f, v, m, t, d, s, z, c, 3, s, z, c, 3, s, z, c, 3', n, n, r, l, u, i, k, g, x, k', g'/. The mothers' statements, which were spontaneous speech, were accompanied by numerous pauses, conditioned by the context of the statement, the sender's reflection or waiting for an answer. In this situation, it was possible to observe reductions in vocalization and hyper-pronunciation in spontaneous speech (19 people; 10.80%).

The analysis of the phonological properties of the nannies' language in a spontaneous conversation between mother and child allows us to conclude that during mothers' communication, substitutions, elisions and reductions of consonant groups occur.

The research also sought answers to the question regarding the scope of morphological properties of the nannies' language in spontaneous conversations between mother and child. The analysis of the collected material allows for the conclusion that the mothers' statements were deminutive, which affected both nouns, adjectives, pronouns and verbs.

Tab. 3

Morphological properties of the nannies' language in the statements of the examined mothers

Source: own research

Almost all surveyed mothers included diminutives regarding nouns in their statements addressed to their children (162 people, i.e. 92.05%). Diminutives concerned, for example, animal names: piesek. In the statements of four out of five mothers surveyed (149 people; 84.66%), diminutives were used in the case of adjectives, e.g. malusenki, malusi). In every second mother examined, diminutive pronouns were observed. Surprisingly, mothers used deminutualization with verbs. Diminutives - although verbs as linguistic signs of actions or states are not subject to softening - concerned everyday activities such as drinking, eating, playing. Mothers occasionally used the plural in the case of activities relating only to the child.

The next research question concerned the extent of the occurrence of inappropriate syntax of the nannies' language in the mothers' statements. In spoken language, greater syntactic freedom is allowed. The occurrence of onomatopoeia, i.e. lexicalized linguistic formations that can take various forms and is an attempt to imitate or describe surrounding sound phenomena, was observed in the statements of the surveyed mothers. As L. Kaczmarek (1981) points out, onomatopoeic expressions are most similar to the child's first forms of communication with the environment; due to their naturalness, they allow the child to communicate and even constitute a certain stage of language development.

The collected research material shows that mothers very often refer to the phonetic properties of the nannies' language when communicating with their children. In their statements addressed to the child, they use substitutions, elisions or omissions of consonant groups. Diminutives and the use of the firstperson plural in reference to activities involving only the child are also very often used in the statements. Mothers also often use onomatopoeia when addressing their child. Therefore, in the pedagogical dimension, it is very important to draw the attention of preschool teachers and future teachers to the importance of competent use of language structures in communication with a child (Fomin, Budnyk, Matsuk, et al., 2020). After all, dialogue from an early age, including between parents and children, has a significant impact on their further development and education.

CONCLUSION

Although the nannies' language is an intuitive form of communication between adults and children, it is worth paying attention to several important developmental aspects. According to the adopted theoretical assumptions, a child's language is not a passive imitation of the language of adults, but the activation of a child's language is a dynamic sequence of constantly transforming systems, active discovery of the rules that govern the use of language in various situations or creating rules for the needs of one's own system, which is a system adequate to a given the child's developmental stage (Lobacz, 1996; Smoczynska, 1997; Pluta-Wojciechowska, 2005). Adults play an important role in this interaction and in creating grammatical rules, because the creation of language requires contact with the language of adults and takes place on the basis of this language and in relation to this language. Therefore, it can be assumed that the occurrence of substitutions, elisions or reductions of consonant groups in adult utterances - especially during the period of intensive language development in a child - creates room for experiencing and interiorizing incorrect linguistic patterns, and this may constitute the basis for changes in the general language system as the target language in the process of acquiring speech.

A child exposed to the language of nannies may have difficulties with interiorization of the phonetic and phonological system. Taking into account the fact that speech allows the child to shape and express its own individuality, the mother's use of the plural or speaking to the child in the third person singular may disturb the development of one's own "I", the sense of separateness and independence. Using diminutives to refer to individual parts of speech, or even creating "your own" terms in relation to activities performed, may contribute to narrowing the child's social contacts due to confining him/her to forms of communication understandable to a narrow group of people. When taking care of your child's development, you should remember about the appropriate way of communicating with him. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on pedagogical support of the child in a communicative environment (Budnyk, & Fomin, 2019), the correct use of words and sentences, a positive aura for dialogue not only for the nanny, but also for parents, immediate family members, etc.

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