Children's acquisition of idioms in the English language
Abstract:
Idiomatic comprehension was studied in four groups of 20 subjects each, ages six, nine, and 12 years, and adult. Each subject was read 10 sentences which could be interpreted literally or idiomatically. Following each sentence, the subject chose the two pictures that were closest in meaning to the sentence heard. This procedure generated 800 pairs of selections for analysis. The results indicated a (1) significant difference between literal and idiomatic choices regardless of the subject's age or the voice of the sentence, (2) significant difference between literal and idiomatic choices as a function of age regardless of the voice of the sentence, and (3) significant voice-by-choice interaction indicating that voice affected the choice of literal or idiomatic picture representations.
More Related Videos
05:35Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
Published on: April 19, 2017
06:15Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism
Published on: October 3, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Language
Corballis and Suddendorf (2007) and Tomasello and Rakoczy (2003) highlight the role of language in...
Components of Language
Language Development
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
Language and Cognition
Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development from Childhood into Adulthood
Schemata: Building Blocks of Knowledge
Schemata...
The Nativist Approach
