Private and social speech in communication: Terminology and distinctive traits

The study of private and social speech demands a considerable initial effort from beginning scientists to clarify the terms and concepts related to the phenomenon. The present article looks at the different labels used and at their conceptual definitions, distinguishing two stages: the origin of the conceptual debate by Piaget and Vygotsky (which has been sometimes misunderstood),and the later contributions by other authors. The above contributions led to the current terms (private speechand social speech)that have finally prevailed. In this article the use of these latter terms is justified and two new subterms, which increase their accuracy, are coined: social speech of private meaningand social speech of public meaning.This study is from a section of a larger project, which was funded by two grants from the Institut de Sociolingüística Catalana (Direcció General de Política Lingüística—Generalitat de Catalunya), in 1992 and 1993, and one grant from the Divisió de Ciències de la Salut (University of Barcelona). It was carried out as part of the requirements for the author's Ph.D., whose unconditional advisor was H. Boada. I also thank J. C. Oliver for reviewing the English writing.