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Article published In:
Pragmatics of Active Social Inclusion
Edited by Yoshiko Matsumoto and Heidi E. Hamilton
[Pragmatics and Society 15:1] 2024
► pp. 104–121
Section 2: Exploring inclusivity practices within activity-based interactions

On an even playing field of haiku making

An inclusive activity of creative verbal art

ORCID logo | Stanford University
| Stanford University
| Harvard University
| Georgia Institute of Technology

To help older adults living with cognitive impairments to engage in positive social interactions and maintain verbal creativity, intergenerational small-group sessions of haiku creation and appreciation activity were conducted online during the pandemic. Haiku, a short 17-syllable form of poetry originating in Japan, conveys simple yet emotive seasonal images free from the complexity or logical continuity required of prose. Accordingly, it offers anyone the challenge of an unfamiliar activity while minimizing impediment from linguistic and memory difficulties. The participants’ interactions during the activity and post-session interviews reveal that for both young and old, the haiku creation format facilitated self-expression and sharing of personal narratives. The key to meaningful interaction was the equal positioning of persons with and without cognitive impairments and their efforts to understand their interlocutor’s purpose and conversational direction. The study encourages further studies in pragmatics centered on affect-oriented communication.

Keywords: intergenerational communication, social inclusivity, verbal art, cognitive impairment, equal positioning, pragmatics of understanding
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background and structure of haiku activity sessions
    • 2.1Background
    • 2.2The structure of sessions
  • 3.Interactions during the haiku activity sessions
    • 3.1Inclusive interactions – Mutual inclusion
      • 3.1.1In haiku-focused interaction
      • 3.1.2In casual conversation-focused interactions
    • 3.2Unintended exclusion – Other inclusion
    • 3.3Discussion
  • 4.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 18 December 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ps.23037.mat
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