| The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of children's language use in dramatic situations. It was based on the long-held popular assumptions that drama has a positive influence on language in respect to fluency, vocabulary, and other less-well specified elements of style. Specifically, the study had four major purposes: (1) to examine and describe the situational features of selected dramatic contexts to characterize the nature of the language used; (2) to analyze selected linguistic characteristics of the language within specific contexts; (3) to compare the linguistic characteristics of the language across contexts; (4) to describe the role of drama in creating contexts for language use.;Tape recorders were used to record the oral language used by the children during the dramas. At the time of recording, anecdotal notes were made to keep records of contextual information which would not be available on the tapes. Selected sections of tapings were transcribed and from those transcripts twelve contexts were selected for in-depth analysis.;The data were analyzed along two dimensions related to register, situational and language features. The situational variables considered were (1) purpose of the discourse; (2) stimulus distance; (3) social relationship of the participants; (4) formality of setting; and (5) audience size. The language features considered were (1) style of the discourse; (2) lexical density; and (3) lexical diversity.;The language features were used to describe variation within the situational classifications. The patterning that occurred pointed to particular registers in use.;Children in grades one through five, an age range of 6 to 12, were the subjects for this study. Each of the four multi-aged classrooms involved provided a two grade range, respectively 1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 4/5. The first two groups worked for a week's time (five consecutive days) approximately one and one-half hours each day. The 3/4, 4/5 groups also worked for five consecutive days but approximately two hours each day.;The findings of this study point to the positive influence drama can have on children's language and show the nature of this influence. As children were caught up in the drama experience their language changed in respect to the demands of the situation. Contexts in which the stimulus was concrete, that is to say, either a lived experience or physically present objects, tended to encourage a higher level of both lexical density and diversity. Dramatic experiences promoted concrete experiences through role-taking. In other words, what the children were more familiar with they talked about with a more diverse and dense vocabulary. Informal/small group settings that were more casual tended to have a greater degree variation in the patterning of linguistic features. Whereas, when the contextual features of a situation became more salient, the language used by the participants was more consistent in patterning. Highly ritualistic and ceremonial contexts tended to promote more formal/public style language, often times stylized to the role assumed. In addition, the public style appeared only in distant relationships, where the social distance was maximum. When the relationship between the participants was familiar only a private style was used.;Also important to consider from the findings is that through drama, the context of situation can be deliberately manipulated. Through such manipulation, desired language use may be encouraged. For example, when written texts (poetry, stories) were used, they appeared to influence the oral language. Both lexical items and linguistic structures of written texts appeared in the children's talk.;This study points to the influence of the dramatic context on language. Further studies in drama and language should be investigated further in contextual terms. |
