Coding for Decontextualized Language

Tutorial on how to code for Decontextualized language

What is the difference between contextualized and decontextualized language?

Contextualized language is defined as language in the here and now. It refers to people, objects, or events that were present in the immediate environment of the interaction. Decontextualized language is defined as language removed from the here and now. DT refers to events happening in the past or that might happen in the future.

Coding for Decontextualized Language (D)

An utterance should be coded as decontextualized if it:

• contains past or future tense verbs;

• contains verbs that express mental states (i.e., know, believe, doubt, think, suppose, recognize, forget, remember)

• refers to non-present entities or distant places

• contains coordinating conjunctions (e.g., and, so) or subordinating conjunctions (e.g, because, while, and whereas);

• involves the talker telling a narrative (i.e., recounting stories about the past, future, or habitual recurring events).

  • utterances are considered narrative if it contains an action or event that is tied to a location or time

  • contains wh- words (e.g., who, what, when, why, where, how)

• involves pretend play (i.e., imaginary non-literal, or imitative episodes of interaction)

• describes habitual recurring events (e.g., he writes everyday)

Bookreading:

• if the talker makes inferences about the characters' intention or mental state, code the utterance as D.

• if the talker draws comparisions between their personal experience and the concept they are discussing, code the utterance as D.

Discourse:

If a speaker's or their conversational partner's previous statement was coded as 'D', and the conversation is still discussing the same topic, then the current utterance can also be coded as 'D'.

Coding for Contextualized Language (C)

Utterance should be coded as contextualized language if:

• for book reading, it describes items or characters in the book

• uses present tense and indicative mood (e.g., it is raining outside)

• contains auxiliary verb + verbs ending in -ing (e.g., She is sleeping)