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The comprehension of ‘here’ and ‘there’

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 September 2008

Rosalind Charney
Rosalind Charney
Affiliation:
University of Chicago
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Abstract

Comprehension of words like here and there demands an ability to take the speaker as reference point whether or not his position agrees with one's own. Because children are known to have difficulty taking another person's viewpoint into account, it was hypothesized that children would be able to understand here and there with the speaker as reference point only after they were able to understand the terms with self as reference point. Fifty children age 2;6–3;6 were presented with two toys spaced a few feet apart and asked ‘Which one is over here/there?’ There were three conditions: E and S both sat next to (1) the same toy; (2) a different toy; and (3) E sat next to one toy while the other toy was near no-one. Contrary to the hypothesis, it was found that children did not comprehend the words with self as reference point first. Instead, the words appear to be understood first I with respect to an inconsistent reference point before children learn that the reference point is always the speaker.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Child Language , Volume 6 , Issue 1 , February 1979 , pp. 69 - 80
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

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References

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