Factors reflecting children’s use of temporal terms as a function of social group

Abstract

The study analyzes the relationship between the temporal terms used by four-year-old children from different socio-economic backgrounds — marginalized urban neighborhoods and middle-income families — and the use of these terms in the spontaneous situations in which they participate in family and community contexts. The analysis assumes that the child develops knowledge about temporal expressions as they are used by others and as the child uses them herself (Nelson 2007; Tomasello 2003). Findings show that children from marginalized urban neighborhoods use fewer temporal terms than children from middle-income backgrounds. These differences correlate with differences in the input of both groups. The analysis shows differences in the interactional and discursive patterns of use of the terms in the homes of both groups of children.