Semantic Development of Simple Classification Terms

Abstract

One of the more complex problems of language acquisition concerns semantic development. Neither the form nor the underlying mechanisms of the evolution of meaning are well understood. It does, however, seem clear that the meanings of some terms do change with age. For example, small children appear to have difficulties distinguishing the meaning of certain opposing terms, such as “less” and “more” (Palermo,1973) or “different” and “same” (Webb et al.,1974), difficulties not found in older children. It is nontheless often difficult to extrapolate from this kind of data to descriptions of semantic structure.

reprinted by permission of the R.P.A.

now at the Laboratoire d’Ethologie Humaine, Université du Québec à Montréal.