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Individual differences in early vocabulary development: redefining the referential-expressive distinction.

E V Lieven1, J M Pine, H D Barnes

  • 1Department of Psychology, Manchester University, UK.

Journal of Child Language
|June 1, 1992
PubMed
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This study introduces a new method for analyzing early language development, moving beyond the referential-expressive distinction. It reveals that common nouns and frozen phrases are key indicators of stylistic variation in young children's vocabulary.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Linguistics
  • Child Language Acquisition

Background:

  • The referential-expressive distinction has been the primary framework for studying stylistic variation in early language acquisition.
  • This established distinction faces significant challenges and limitations in its application.
  • A need exists for a more robust and formal approach to analyzing early lexical diversity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce and validate a novel, formal categorization scheme for coding stylistic variation in children's early lexicons.
  • To identify the primary dimensions of stylistic difference in the initial stages of language development.
  • To explore the relationship between specific lexical categories and early language productivity.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a simple, formal categorization scheme for analyzing early lexical data.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Application of the scheme to the first 50 and 100 words of 12 children aged 0;11 to 2;3.
  • Quantitative analysis to determine major dimensions of variation and their correlation with productivity.

    • Main Results:

    • The relative proportion of common nouns and frozen phrases emerged as the principal dimensions of stylistic variation.
    • A significant positive correlation was found between the proportion of frozen phrases and children's early vocabulary productivity.
    • The study identified key differences in the early lexicons of children based on formal linguistic categories.

    Conclusions:

    • The proposed formal categorization scheme offers a viable alternative to the traditional referential-expressive distinction for studying early language variation.
    • Frozen phrases appear to be a facilitative element, not a hindrance, in the progression towards multiword speech.
    • Understanding these lexical dimensions provides new insights into the diverse pathways of early language development.