Punctuation marks in free writing of children aged between 5 and 8

This paper examines how children aged 5–8 acquire knowledge of the punctuation marks and principles of Russian punctuation in the process of implicit learning. The novelty of this study lies in the fact that while the topic of children’s spontaneous acquisition of graphics and spelling has been covered in sufficient detail in ontolinguists’ works, punctuation acquisition has not previously been considered. However, research into the distinctive features of spontaneous acquisition of writing by children in the process of their own speech activity is significant not only for the theory of Russian punctuation and its psycholinguistic aspect. It is also important for constructing a route to linguodidactic support for children. The study aims to identify the order and specific features of children’s acquisition of punctuation marks. The article demonstrates that the emergence of punctuation marks in children’s writing is analogous to the development of Russian punctuation to a great extent. The full stop appears first, the exclamation mark follows, and then all other punctuation marks come into common use. The main principles that guide children when they place punctuation marks are intonation and semantics. The logic of learning and using punctuation marks is analysed in relation to various types of texts produced by children. The study highlights the difference in the use of punctuation marks in prose and poetry since the latter is free from punctuation restrictions and offers one a variety of interpretations. Independent reading experience enables children to understand the function of punctuation marks on their own.