Explores how children negotiated social identities through language used in spontaneous, casual conversation. Examines how audio transcripts of the childrens' conversations exhibit different aspects of their social "selves" and suggests that their talk can be analyzed in relation to the individual self, the immediately situated social actor, and…

Analyzes childrens' (ages 10-12) narratives to show how the stories contribute to children's ongoing construction of knowledge and identity. Argues that children's use of reported speech drives the referential and evaluative functions of their stories and that their reproduction and framing of others' and their own voices enables them to reflect…