Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil
Published on: July 29, 2020
Verb diversity analysis in the spontaneous speech of Brazilian preschoolers
Debora Maria Befi-Lopes1, Ana Manhani Cáceres
1Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo. dmblopes@usp.br
Background:
verb acquisition.
Aim:
to verify quantitative and qualitative verb diversity in the spontaneous speech of Brazilian Portuguese-speaking preschoolers and verb acquisition from 2 to 4 years of age.
Method:
participants were sixty preschoolers equally matched on gender and age, divided into three groups: GI (2-year-old children), GII (3-year-old children) and GIII (4-year-old children). Spontaneous speech samples obtained through playing interactions, in educational contexts, were collected, and verb productions were listed.
Results:
children used 167 different verbs. The quantitative analysis indicated significant statistical differences between all groups (p< .001), with gradual increase of verb usage from 2 to 4 years of age. However, no statistical difference (p= .956) was observed between genders.
Conclusion:
preschoolers improved their use of verbs during the initial stages of language acquisition, irrespective of their gender.
Related Concept Videos
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...
Components of Language
Variability: Analysis
The range is a simple measure of variability, indicating the difference between the highest and...
Language and Cognition
Naturalistic Observations
Language
Corballis and Suddendorf (2007) and Tomasello and Rakoczy (2003) highlight the role of language in...
