How do Mandarin-speaking children relate events in personal narratives?

Abstract

This study explored Mandarin-speaking children’s independent ability in using conjunctions to relate events in personal narration. Twenty three-year-olds, twenty four-year-olds, twenty five-year-olds and twenty six-year-olds participated, and they were prompted to tell personal stories. Conjunctions were assessed in terms of the use of seven types of connectives. With age, Mandarin-speaking children used more diversified conjunctions and produced more conjunctions in their personal narratives. Significant differences were found across age groups in the frequency of sequential, temporal, and simple connectives, but the proportional use of these three connectives did not differ across age groups. No gender differences were found in the use of any of the connectives. Mandarin-speaking children relied on sequential, temporal and simple connectives to relate events in their narratives, and the use of causal, additive, adversative and conditional connectives were rare. Chinese mothers’ greater emphasis on knowledge, social rules and moral standards may contribute to this.