ABSTRACT
The first stage of the interpretation and analysis of observed and recorded make-believe play is microscopic analysis, identifying the building blocks of the observed play on the raw material, semantic and pragmatic levels. Minimal units on the raw material and semantic levels level are combinations of vocal-linguistic, spatial, motional and tactile features that carry meaning on the semantic level. It is minimal if it cannot be broken down into smaller units without losing its meaning. Minimal units on the pragmatic level are structures, that is, sequences of semantically interpreted raw material units that convey a single communicative message. Key concepts in analyzing structures are purpose (the kind of interpersonal message the player wants to convey by his or her play structure) and presupposition (the way the player understands the message conveyed by the play structure produced by his or her play partner). The purpose is influenced by the presupposition.
