Interpretation of infantile writing: the question of autorship

Abstract

The aim of this study is to show that it is possible to find authorship or traces of it in the written output of children in the initial phase of the literacy process. For this, it is necessary to adopt a theoretical conception that does not focus on a traditional view of learning. In order to analyze written outputs using the authorship as a criterion, the French perspective of Discourse Analysis was adopted as the theoretical framework. Spontaneous written outputs were analyzed and interpreted. It follows that infantile written show authorship even though they are not inscribed in the rules of the language. The proper use of grammatical rules, of punctuation, of orthography ceases to be an obstacle to the insertion and output of the written discourse in the initial phase of the literacy process. Therefore, it should be the other way round: beginning from practical written outputs, the child will use the rules determined by the language.