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Linking language to sensory experience: Onomatopoeia in early language development
Author(s) -
Motamedi Yasamin,
Murgiano Margherita,
Perniss Pamela,
Wonnacott Elizabeth,
Marshall Chloë,
GoldinMeadow Susan,
Vigliocco Gabriella
Publication year - 2021
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/desc.13066
Subject(s) - onomatopoeia , referent , psychology , meaning (existential) , vocabulary , language development , linguistics , iconicity , vocabulary development , language acquisition , sound symbolism , developmental psychology , mathematics education , philosophy , psychotherapist
A key question in developmental research concerns how children learn associations between words and meanings in their early language development. Given a vast array of possible referents, how does the child know what a word refers to? We contend that onomatopoeia (e.g. knock, meow ), where a word's sound evokes the sound properties associated with its meaning, are particularly useful in children's early vocabulary development, offering a link between word and sensory experience not present in arbitrary forms. We suggest that, because onomatopoeia evoke imagery of the referent, children can draw from sensory experience to easily link onomatopoeic words to meaning, both when the referent is present as well as when it is absent. We use two sources of data: naturalistic observations of English‐speaking caregiver–child interactions from 14 up to 54 months, to establish whether these words are present early in caregivers’ speech to children, and experimental data to test whether English‐speaking children can learn from onomatopoeia when it is present. Our results demonstrate that onomatopoeia: (a) are most prevalent in early child‐directed language and in children's early productions, (b) are learnt more easily by children compared with non‐iconic forms and (c) are used by caregivers in contexts where they can support communication and facilitate word learning.