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Semantic knowledge and the acquisition of proper names
Author(s) -
Hall D. Geoffrey
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
developmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.801
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1467-7687
pISSN - 1363-755X
DOI - 10.1111/1467-7687.00040
Subject(s) - object (grammar) , psychology , semantic memory , semantics (computer science) , implicit knowledge , proper noun , cognitive psychology , linguistics , natural language processing , knowledge acquisition , cognitive science , artificial intelligence , cognition , computer science , philosophy , neuroscience , programming language
This article explores the proposal that children learn proper names by exploiting implicit universal semantic knowledge. This knowledge directs children to interpret object‐directed words used under particular conditions as proper names referring to specific objects. Provided that caregivers use proper names as object‐directed labels under the same conditions, the knowledge can explain children's mastery of these expressions.