Discourse organization in parent-led narratives

This article analyzes parent narratives in Basque and Spanish by means of a story aimed at boys and girls between ages of 3 and 8 in order to investigate the similarities and differences in the narrative input provided by parents, paying attention to structural and organizational features in terms of their narrative forms and functions. We used a quantitative methodology that recorded the frequencies of the different variables under study: narrative length, structure, cohesion (connectors and verb tense), and the types of interaction between adults and children in both languages. The results show differences in narrative input relative to the age of the child and the language used. With older children, parents used a less interactive style in both Basque and Spanish. Furthermore, there are differences in narrative structure as a function of the age of the child: with the 3–4 year olds, more clauses were used to explain the details of the action taking place outdoors. Finally, narratives in Basque made greater use of temporal connectors, while narratives in Spanish used more subordinating connectors.

Published online: 19 February 2016
https://doi.org/10.1075/ni.25.1.05etx