Nursery World - Spontaneous conversation

Background Sally, the youngest in a family of four girls, was described by her mother as a chatterbox, and the tape of her playing mummies and babies with her sisters confirmed that. She went to a playgroup for a month before starting school aged four years and eight months. In playgroup, she did not settle well; in school she did not talk at all and looked unhappy. She was beginning to make friends but her teacher became concerned and believed she had language problems.

Sally, the youngest in a family of four girls, was described by her mother as a chatterbox, and the tape of her playing mummies and babies with her sisters confirmed that. She went to a playgroup for a month before starting school aged four years and eight months. In playgroup, she did not settle well; in school she did not talk at all and looked unhappy. She was beginning to make friends but her teacher became concerned and believed she had language problems.

Conversation

The analysis of Sally's language was meant to take place in a well-resourced room offering lots of stimuli for conversation and with a small group of children. But she became captivated by my necklace as we walked down the corridor and the following conversation developed: Sally What's that? (stopped, looked, fingered my necklace).

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