Inner Speech, Embodiment of Play, and Fleeting Emotional Transitions: Unpacking Children’s Belongings in a New Country

Abstract

In drawing upon Vygotsky’s cultural–historical theory, this chapter seeks to examine the relation between inner speech, embodiment of play, and fleeting emotional transitions, contributing to understanding the developing affective-volitional sphere related to consciousness of thought and language in young children. The aim is to better understand the role of inner speech through observations that draw together a child’s concrete play and utterances that concern abstract ideas within the home context. In the larger study, approximately six months of data gathering took place in the home and school context with focus on seven children. In the current study, analysis has a focus on one child at home while unpacking belongings after an international move. Data includes video recordings, field notes, photographic documentation, and semi structured interviews with the child. Findings indicate that drawing together the embodiment of play with belongings (artefacts), fleeting emotional transitions and inner speech contribute to the focus of the child remembering a past life in another country and when and who he used his toys with. Most studies in this area are situated in the context of school. By positioning the current study in the home, a naturalistic setting, we contribute to the empirical elaborations that aim to understand the developing affective-volitional sphere related to consciousness, thought and language.KeywordsPrivate and inner speechEmbodimentArtefactsCultural-historical theoryEarly childhood