This study compares the interactions of Estonian mothers and their 2-year-old children across three interaction contexts. At meals, mothers and children were the least talkative, and mothers used the least conversation-eliciting utterances. During bookreading and puzzle-solving situations, mothers were significantly more concerned with eliciting talk from children and directing their attention. A comparison of the current data with data collected in 1992 (Tulviste & Raudsepp 1997) demonstrated that the pattern of Estonian mothers’ speech had not changed at meals, whereas maternal speech during puzzle solving was not as highly directive as it was in 1992. The results may reflect the considerable economic and societal changes that have taken place in Estonia during the last decade.
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