Summary
This article focuses upon greetings and welcomes among one and two year old peers who meet regularly thoughout a year in the context of a Norwegian barnehage (day care). The results show that about half of the toddler greetings may be paralleled to well-known forms of distant and close greeting across cultures, 21% were found to be essentially childlike and often involed prolonged greeting “ceremonies”, indicating that a specific culure of welcoming may emerge among toddler peers meeting over time. The social significance of greeting in general and especially of toddler peer greeting is discussed.
Résumé
Cet article traite des salutations et de l’accueil entre pairs concernant les un à deux ans qui se rencontrent régulièrement pendant une année dans le cadre d’un «barnehage» norvégien (crèche). Les résultats de la recherche montrent qu’environ la moitié des salutations de ces tout petits sont comparables à des formes de salutation-de près ou à distance — bien connues dans différentes cultures, tandis que 21% sont essentiellement des «cérémonies» enfantines prolongées de salutations, ce qui seggère qu’une culture spécifique de bienvenue peut apparaître entre les tout petits qui se recontrent sur une certaine durée de temps. La signification sociale des salutations en général et des salutations spécifiques entre tout petits, les pairs, est traitée en profondeur.
Resumen
Este articulo trata de los saludos y bienvenidas entre pequeños compañeros de 1–2 años que se encuentran regularmente durante un año en el marco de un barnehage noruego (guardería). Los resultados del estudio indican que aproximadamente la mitad de las saludaciones de estos niños son comparables a formas de saludo — sean a distancia o próximos — bien conocidas en varias culturas, pero el 21% son esencialmente “ceremonias” prolongadas y especìficas para los niños mismos, lo que sugiere que una cultura especìfica be bienvenida puede surgir en el largo plazo entre lospequeños de 1–2 años que se encuentran regularmente. El significado social de los saludos en general y especificamente entre los niños y niñas muy pequeños està tratado tambien en el texto.
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The official term for different kinds of professional and skilled care (including day care) in Norway is barnehage, the same word as Fröbel’s Kindergarten. However, the pedagogical content is different. The pedagogical field in question is that of toddler groups of 8–9 one and two year old children, daily cared for and educated by a pedagogical leader and two assistants. The professional responsibility of the leader is based on three years in a college of early childhood education.
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Løkken, G. Greetings and welcomes among toddler peers in a Norwegian barnehage. IJEC 36, 43–58 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03168199
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03168199