Acquiring perspective in English: the development of stance

In this paper we examine the development of stance by comparing the use of certain distancing devices: impersonal pronouns, passive constructions, and attitudinal markers, especially modals, in the written narrative and expository texts of English speaking children, adolescents, and adults. The results suggest that even the youngest group use these markers differentially to distinguish the two text types. Thus, analyses center on the expository texts and the development of a more distanced, impersonal stance characteristic of this genre. For each of the target linguistic structures, we found developmental changes, both quantitative and qualitative. The results are discussed with reference to both cognitive and biological frameworks.