Decontextualised Language

One of the most effective ways we can support language proficiency is through the use of decontextualised language.

But what is it?

Contextualised language is talk about the here and now of it all e.g Labelling, describing, commenting on what’s happening, giving immediate directions, while decontextualised language is talk about the there and then. (Note: It’s not actually a clean split. Some language sits somewhere in between)

Adult use of decontextualised language is very important stuff because it gives children a rich language model, encourages back and forth conversations, and gives children the opportunity to practice complex sentence structures.

An interesting fact is that a child’s use of decontextualised language at 30 months actually predicts academic language proficiency at age 12. It’s linked to vocabulary, syntax, narrative ability, theory of mind, and emotional understanding.

How might we introduce decontextualised language into day-to-day conversations? Here are some examples:

Reminiscing, e.g. “Yesterday I forgot to bring the apples.”

Planning e.g. “Dad is going to bring sandwiches for the picnic.”

Providing Explanations for Concepts e.g. “Nocturnal animals are animals that sleep in the day and come out at night time.”

Discussing abstract concepts like feelings e.g. “Your sister is feeling disappointed because she lost her bracelet.”

Engaging in pretend play e.g. “Imagine if the river was a portal that took us into the future!”


Reference: Wei et al., 2025, as cited in The Informed SLP.