Epistemic modality in expressions of ethics and morals in child language

The overall objective of the project was to explore possible relationships between children's language learning and their ethical reflections. The project was interdisciplinary, including fields of research such as Saami linguistics, philosophy, education, and literature.

We investigated how five- to seven-year-olds whose first language is North Saami interpret and assess ethical dilemmas when speaking to adults, and how they express this in language. Further, we examined the tools the children use to express different degrees of possibility, probability, and certainty.

We have developed a data collection method based on stories that express ethical dilemmas, which are open to different solutions and for different reasons. The stories have been used as a basis for conversations with children in kindergartens and schools. Master's degree students have participated in the dramatization of selected stories and in the planning and implementation of the data collection.