Abstract

This article analyzes how cognitive pragmatics proposed to solve the main problem of classical communication theories, which is the incompatibility with human cognition. In particular, cognitive pragmatics has provided a framework useful to delve into important aspects of communication development. It is discussed how this perspective allows us to account for the development of both simple forms of communication and forms that are generally considered complex. If the simplest forms are those that characterize ordinary adult interactions, developmental research has shown that they are also those that allow younger children to participate in interactions. An important point is that complexity does not refer to the range of different forms of communication that are also available to the child but to the possibility of coping with situations in which sharedness is not realized and an analysis of the mental states and knowledge of the interlocutor is necessary. In the second part of the article, experimental evidence is presented in support of the previous theoretical theses.