| Abstract: | Interpersonal conflicts and sequences of misunderstandings of the interpretative frame (as "real" or "pretend") were examined in the videotaped interactions of 19 pairs of preschool-age children. Several linguistic/pragmatic devices employed for disambiguating frame and for handling opposition during the planning and conducting of play activity were identified and discussed. The devices are characteristic of a mitigated style of interactional response. The dual requirements of mutual agreement on interpretative frame and maintenance of willing collaboration in the construction of make-believe play are hypothesized to underlie the relatively sophisticated level of disambiguation and conflict-handling observed in these interactions. |
