The Beginnings of the Symbolic Functions in Children

In psychology, there are few researches on the origin and development of the symbolic function. Instead, under influence of linguistics there are more researches only on language development which is studied in the frame of the fictitious interaction between the child as an interlocutor (speaker, listener) and the language system. Our concept of the nature of childhood is rather different. First of all, human infant is practical being. Human infant completely depends on the social environment. For his part, infant is prepared for such destiny: he is gifted with primary sociality. In the process of the child care, there is intensive communication by practical actions: adult do some actions and the infant understands meaning of these actions and responds adequately to them. In this way, it is established real cooperation as a specifically human social relationship. In this process of mutual understanding, adult regularly introduces semiotic means (attributing symbolic meanings to the infant's practical actions, using appropriate speech). This situation gives the possibility of translation from situational-practical communication to symbolic one (decoding language). Based on affective attachment, diverse forms of pre-semiotic communication are developed as prerequisite for the emergence of a symbolic function. The first semiotic behaviors are described as a result of that complex interaction of biological, affective, social and cognitive early development: the first as pretending gestures and the second as clearly semiotic behaviors.