Abstract :
This paper aims at finding out the forms and functions of directive speech acts uttered by Persian-speaking
children. The writer’s goal is to discover the distinct strategies applied by speakers of nursery school age
children regarding three parameters: the choice of form, the negotiation of communicative goals within
conversation, and the protection of face. The data collected for this purpose are based on actual school
conversational situations that were audio recorded in four nursery schools during classroom work and playtime
activities. Children, who are the subjects of this study, are of both sexes and various social backgrounds. The
results revealed that (1) the investigation of children’s directive speech acts confirm the fact that they are aware
of social parameters of talk (Andersen- Slosberg,1990; Ervin, Tripp et al., 1990); (2) they use linguistic forms
that are different from what is used by adults as politeness marker, such as, polite 2nd plural subject-agreement
on the verb, “please” and “thank you” words; (3) They use declaratives with illocutionary force in order to mark
distance (Georgalidou, 2001).
