ABSTRACT
The last two years of Vygotsky’s life were marked by the increasing emphasis in his writing on the analysis of the development of psychological systems in connection with the development of social behaviour. Minick (1987) traced the progression of Vygotsky’s thinking through three phases and argued that in contrast to his earlier work, his writing in the period 1933-4 insisted that the analysis of the development of word meaning should begin with the analysis of the function of the word in communication. Here was the connection between the analysis of social and psychological systems. The intended analysis proceeds from that of specific forms of social practice through an analysis of the function of the word in mediating specific types of social interaction and communication, to an understanding of the development of the word.
