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Play with language: overextensions as analogies*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 September 2008

Judith Hudson  and
Katherine Nelson
Judith Hudson
Affiliation:
City University of New York
Katherine Nelson
Affiliation:
City University of New York
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Abstract

This study experimentally investigated the hypothesis that some of young children's overextensions are analogic expressions by comparing children's labelling of objects in a naming task to their labelling of the same objects in a play situation. All of the 11 children (1; 8–2; 4) renamed substitute objects during pretend play. Criteria were established which identified 27% of children's renamings as analogic. Analysis of children's choice of substitute objects in pretend play showed that older children's (2; 2–2; 4) selections were influenced by their previous naming of the objects. In addition, both younger and older children tended to choose more functionally similar objects over more physically similar objects although ambiguous objects were renamed most often. Records collected by mothers for one week provided further evidence that children spontaneously produce analogic extensions.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Child Language , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , June 1984 , pp. 337 - 346
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1984

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Footnotes

[*]

Research support to the first author was provided by Training Grant 5732HDO7196 from NICHD and to the second author by Grant BNS7825810 from the National Science Foundation. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the meetings of the Southeastern Conference on Human Development, Baltimore, April 1982. Address for correspondence: Katherine Nelson, Developmental Psychology Program, C.U.N.Y. Graduate Center, 33 West 42 Street, New York, N.Y. 10036, U.S.A.

References

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