When We Eat We Sit Down: Caregivers Using the First Person Plural Pronoun

• In Event: 388 - Regular Session. The Interactional Production of Identity and Authority

Abstract

When caregivers and young children interact struggles can occur as caregivers attempt to get children to follow directions or commands. These daily interactions can turn problematic when children refuse to cooperate, do not understand, or disregard the requests of caregivers. Therefore, caregivers often use a variety of techniques to gain compliance.

In examining talk turn-by-turn following Conversation Analytic methods, this paper demonstrates how the first person plural pronoun “we” is often times used by caregivers in various ways as an alternative to a traditional parental command when talking with young children. Outside of normal usages, “we” can be used as part of a directive, to establish and re-establish social norms, and to soften the caregiver’s authority in order to avoid conflict. When used within a directive, “we” is often used as a false collaborative. All of these functions of “we” are effective to certain degrees since the children in this study often comply with the adult’s usage of the personal pronoun in different situations. In understanding when and how caregivers use this plural pronoun “we” in different circumstances, it is possible to further understand how best to communicate with young children.

Author

• Darcey Searles, State University of New Jersey-Rutgers