A case study in language socialization: Korean wh‐questions

Abstract

This study analyzes the process of language socialization in two young Korean children, focusing on their acquisition of one linguistic subsystem, wh‐questions. The two children, aged 1 year, 8 months and 1 year, 10 months at the start of the study, were audio‐recorded approximately twice a month for 1 year in interaction with their mothers. The paper examines: (1) the transmission of cultural values via the pragmatic functions of wh‐questions in the mothers’ speech, (2) the role of “family culture,” that is, differences in the interactive functions of wh‐questions in the two families, and (3) the contributions of the children to the socialization process. Findings include significant correlations between maternal and child frequencies of forms and of form/function pairs, as well as selectivity and innovation in the children's adoption of forms and functions. The results support a model of language socialization in which linguistic forms and functions serve as a vehicle for the transmission of social know...