CLA Stages of Development Theorists: Holophrastic Stage

Question 1

Over-extension

Rescaria (1980)

C,A, M/PS

Holophrastic Stage

Answer 1

• 3 types of Overextension:
• Categorical overextension: Most common form of overextension. Occurs when a hyponym is mixed with a hypernym. Only disappears when a child acquires other hyponyms.
• Analogical overextension: 15% of overextensions. Relates to the ‘packaging’ elements of an object and the properties it has. E.g. ‘Scarf’ may be called ‘cat’ because it is soft when a child touches it.
• Mismatch/Predicate statements: Found in 25% of overextensions. Conveys abstract information and demonstrates a high level of awareness of the connections between objects that are not always obvious to the listner. E.g. ‘Cot’ might be called doll as dolls can often be found in them but wasn’t on this occasion.

Question 2

Aitchinson (1987)

Holophrastic stage

Answer 2

• Identified three stages that occur during a child’s acquisition of vocabulary:
• Labelling: Association of sounds with objects in the child’s environment. Understanding the concept of labels.
• Packaging: Starts to explore the label.
• Network Building: Making connections between the labels they have developed. Understanding opposites and similarities, relationships and contrasts.

Question 3

Katherine Nelson (1973)

Answer 3

• Placed the early words of children into four categories: Naming, action, social and modifying (descriptions).
• Found that 60% of a child’s first words were nouns.

Question 4

Bloom (2004)

Criticism of Nelson

Answer 4

• Argued against Nelson’s theory (1973)
• Bloom argues that the supposed noun bias demonstrated in a child’s early speech merely reflects the frequency of nouns in our language.
• Nouns outnumber verbs by 5:1 in dictionaries.

Question 5

Eve Clark (1973)

Holophrastic stage

Answer 5

• Found that common adjectives (e.g. big, nice) are developed in the first 50 words, however, spatial adjectives are acquired (e.g. wide/narrow) later.
• Also hypothesised that overextension is based on two main criteria:
• The semantic features hypothesis: The baby overextends on the basis of features that combine to give an object meaning. E.g. Colour, Shape, Sound, Movement, etc. Therefore, anything with four legs which moves can be called ‘cat.’
• The functional similarities hypothesis: Overextension results from similarities in the uses to which objects are put. Things used to hold liquids might be called ‘cups.’

Question 6

Eve Clark

Overextenstions

Answer 6

• Studied the first words of children
• Found that children overextended the physical qualities and features of others such as: shape, taste, sound, textures, size and movements.