Ways of Acquiring Word Meanings I. Sources of information about a word’s meaning: A. Syntax

1. Ways of Acquiring Word Meanings I. Sources of information about a word’s meaning: A. Syntax B. Linguistic context C. Nonlinguistic context D. Speaker’s behavior (e.g., eyegaze, gestures) E. Prior Knowledge F. Intonation II. Many such sources are weak or unavailable to children first acquiring language III. The problem of induction IV. Constraints as a partial solution A. The whole object assumption B. The taxonomic assumption C. Mutual exclusivity

3. Woodward --18 month olds Woodward--18 month olds Remember Spelke’s criteria for what makes a good object. Woodward’s dynamic displays (e.g. lava flowing, liquids diffusing) violated these criteria. .

4. The taxonomic assumption: Children extend a novel term to entities of the same kind.They extend object labels to other similar objects, rather than to objects that are thematically related. Why is there a need for such an assumption?

14. Mututal exclusivity: children prefer to have only one category label for each object. children should resist second labels for objects indirect word learning possible: children can infer the appropriate referent for an object helps overcome the whole object assumption freeing children to learn terms for parts, substance, color, etc.

15. Indirect word learning results: Evidence for a lexical or pragmatic constraint? Pragmatic principles suggested as alternatives to mutual exclusivity: Lexical gap filling If she meant “x,” she would have said “x”.

16. Table 1. Mean percent of trials in Study 1 on which the visible familiar toy was selected according to age Cognitive Psychology 47 (2003) 241-275 Use of the mutual exclusivity assumption by young word learners Markman, Wasow and Hansen

17. Table 2. Mean percent of trials in Study 1 on which babies searched according to age Cognitive Psychology 47 (2003) 241-275 Use of the mutual exclusivity assumption by young word learners Markman, Wasow and Hansen

18. Table 3. Mean percent of trials in Study 1 on which the visible familiar toy was selected according to babies’ vocabulary level Cognitive Psychology 47 (2003) 241-275 Use of the mutual exclusivity assumption by young word learners Markman, Wasow and Hansen

19. Cognitive Psychology 47 (2003) 241-275Use of the mutual exclusivity assumption by young word learnersMarkman, Wasow and Hansen Table 4. Mean percent of trials in Study 1 on which babies searched according to vocabulary level

20. Cognitive Psychology 47 (2003) 241-275Use of the mutual exclusivity assumption by young word learnersMarkman, Wasow and Hansen Table 5. Mean percent of trials in Study 2 on which the visible familiar toy was indicated according to age

21. Cognitive Psychology 47 (2003) 241-275Use of the mutual exclusivity assumption by young word learnersMarkman, Wasow and Hansen Table 6. Mean percent of trials in Study 2 on which babies searched according to age

22. Cognitive Psychology 47 (2003) 241-275Use of the mutual exclusivity assumption by young word learnersMarkman, Wasow and Hansen Table 7. Mean percent of trials in Study 2 on which babies indicated the visible familiar toy according to vocabulary level

23. Cognitive Psychology 47 (2003) 241-275Use of the mutual exclusivity assumption by young word learnersMarkman, Wasow and Hansen Table 8. Mean percent of trials in Study 2 on which babies searched according to vocabulary level

24. Cognitive Psychology 47 (2003) 241-275Use of the mutual exclusivity assumption by young word learnersMarkman, Wasow and Hansen Table 9. Percentages of babies in Study 3 who searched according to age

25. Cognitive Psychology 47 (2003) 241-275Use of the mutual exclusivity assumption by young word learnersMarkman, Wasow and Hansen Table 10. Percentages of babies in Study 3 who searched according to vocabulary level

26. Rejection of second labels

30. Enables children to reject a second label for the whole object, thereby freeing them to learn terms for parts, substances, color etc.

34. Katz, Baker, & Macnamara Percent of target object choices Girls (22 mos) Common NounProper Noun Dolls 48 75 Blocks 44 48 Boys Dolls 47 51 Blocks 42 55