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Both speech act theory and cognitive social theory stress how important context is in using and understanding language. Researchers study children in many contexts to understand which contextual factors affect children's language.

Speech Act Theory
Speech act theory argues that not all sentences simply describe information. When some sentences are uttered by the right people in the right circumstances that can accomplish things. These sentences are called performatives or speech acts. Some speech act examples bets, requests, warnings, verdicts, promises and apologies. Speech act theory has there components. The first is the locutionary act which is saying a sentence that refers to something. The second is the illocutionary act which is the speakers purpose. The third is the perlocutionary act which is the effect the sentence has on the listener. Speech act theory assists researchers by guiding them towards what communication aspects they should study and what implicit knowledge children acquire from communication.

Cognitive Developmental Theory
Cognitive developmental theory argues that children are egocentric. They cannot take on another persons point of view. Children start to understand other people and communicate their own thoughts objectively around the age seven. Between the ages of four to seven half of a child's speech is egocentric.

Inferences
In order to communicate successfully children must be able to make inferences about the intentions of others and to convey their own intentions. Children base their inferences on intentions about what is present in the physical context. They then extend their inferences to include what they currently know about the meanings of specific words.

Children also make inferences about gaze and gesture. By relying on gestures and stance children can add inferences.

Pragmatics -> how people use language, what kids do with words

Pragmalinguistics
- Refers to the resources a speaker has. Resources include pragmatic strategies, pragmatic routines and modification devices.

Sociopragmatics
- Refers to the the interference of linguistic action and social structure. Constraints include social status, social distance and agree of imposition.

Emotion
- Emotion can be a sociopragmatic cue and influence word learning.

Interlanguage Pragmatics
- In second language acquisition the learner shares characteristics of both their native language and target language.

Both and discuss the Speech Act Approach.