Imagine that 6-year-old Debbie is beginning to tell you a story about her family' trip to a folk song festival.Before she starts,she says,"O.K.,have you ever heard about the Old Songs Folk Festival?" Her skill in determining whether you have the appropriate background for the story is most relevant to an aspect of language called

Question

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Debbie's skill in determining whether the listener has the appropriate background for the story is an example of pragmatics, which involves understanding the social context in which language is used and adjusting one's language accordingly. Debbie is using her knowledge of the listener's background to tailor her language use, which is a key aspect of pragmatics. Syntax refers to the rules governing sentence structure, source monitoring refers to the ability to track the source of information, and fast mapping refers to the ability to rapidly learn and retain new words.

Imagine That 6-Year-Old Debbie Is Beginning to Tell You a Story