Good example of language development essay

It is characteristic of children to violate pragmatic rules, not because they are ill mannered, but rather because they do not understand the tenets of proper pragmatics. According to Cook and Cook pragmatics is the use of language to express feelings and thoughts, accomplish things and communicate effectively with others (262). While this is the case, I violated quite a number of pragmatic rules as a child. Foremost, I was fond of dominating conversations, especially when it was my siblings involved. I could talk endlessly, not giving room for contribution from my siblings, who, as it would be, were introverts. In response to this conduct, my parents, especially my mother who was and still is an English teacher. She rebuked my conduct, arguing that I had to let others contribute to the conversation because that is the only way that could see communication work to improve the relationships among children. According to my mother dominating a conversation was mean and could not allow me to learn new things from my peers and siblings.
Another unbecoming conduct that I was used to was that of interrupting the conversations of adults. Whenever my parents were holding a conversation, however serious, I could somehow find my way into it. While it may be difficult to explain the reason behind this tendency, I was certain that it was quite not welcome by my parents because they were always offended by my interruption. In responding to this violation of the pragmatic rules, my parents told me that it was rude to interrupt a conversation between two individuals, be they children or adults. Such rudeness could be repulsive and irritating. It is always acceptable to wait for two conversing people to finish their communication before interrupting. If one must interrupt, for instance when the matter they intend to address is quite pressing, they should excuse themselves.
As a child, I was fond of bringing up irrelevant topics. I could find people discussing something like; say the latest cartoon on television. In contrast I could introduce a whole new topic. According to psychologists this could be a way of seeking to be the center of attention. Research indicates that such conduct could be exceptionally irritating as it appears to demean the people engaged in the conversation. Cook and Cook note that parents always endeavor to shape the conduct of their children, with special regards to the accuracy of their speech and language. (267). In line with this observation, adults around me, including my parents and teachers, always warned against such tendencies, arguing that it was not only annoying, but also a show of little respect for others, especially the person who introduced the topic being swayed away to pave way for the new, irrelevant topic. An irrelevant topic could as well make one feel out of place as the rest of the group may fail to accommodate such a person.
Like many children, I was fond of repetitively or consistently repeating something. Usually, the things I could keep repeating were those revolving around my topics of interest, and the things that fell under my ‘ hobbies’ umbrella. It really did not matter who I was addressing. Instead, I kept talking of the same things over and over again. Just like the other repulsive behaviors, this one caught my parents’ attention too. They did not hesitate to inform me that consistent repeating of topics in my areas of interest could appear monotonous and boring at times – things that could make me an unpopular person among my peers. Research also indicates that communication that focuses on the same things at all times could narrow down one’s scope of knowledge, and potentially hinder the development rate of such an individual.

Works Cited

Cook, Joan L, and Greg Cook. Child Development: Principles and Perspectives. Old Tappan, NJ: Pearson Allyn & Bacon, 2008. Print.