ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses developmental issues with respect to discourse. Hence, in addition to the definition of discourse, the issue of what entails development assumes importance here. Discourse is broadly taken to mean the use of language beyond that of a single sentence. Therefore, it encompasses conversation, the different genres of extended discourse (e.g., narrative, argumentation, and rhetoric), as well as monologues in which young children engage. Of course it is beyond the scope of this chapter to deal with the development of all these different genres. Therefore, only the principal trends that have a bearing on developmental concerns are explicated.
