Learning to do things with words
Around the age of fourteen months, infants start to use and understand others' uses of words in communicative interaction. What cognitive abilities must one attribute to them in order to explain this? In this thesis, I set out a variety of features â including knowledge of reference, of (Gricelike) communicative intentions, and of (Lewis-like) linguistic conventions - of which one would need some grasp in order to be able to use and understand words in communicative interaction. I develop an account of the cognitive abilities that grasping such features would require, and defend the plausibility of attributing such abilities to infants around the beginning of their second year of life. I argue that prior to their first uses of words, infants already have some grasp of others' minds â in particular, of when others are trying to communicate with them, and of what it is that they are trying to communicate. On the account that I sketch, infants learn how to use and understand words because they grasp the ends to which those words can be used as means, and because they are able to imitate the purposive communicative actions of their caregivers, and thereby produce utterances of their own.
Moore, Richard Thomas
P Philology. Linguistics
Learning to do things with words. Around the age of fourteen months, infants start to use and understand others' uses of words in communicative interaction. What cognitive abilities must one attribute to them in order to explain this? In this thesis, I set out a variety of features â including knowledge of reference, of (Gricelike) communicative intentions, and of (Lewis-like) linguistic conventions - of which one would need some grasp in order to be able to use and understand words in communicative interaction. I develop an account of the cognitive abilities that grasping such features would require, and defend the plausibility of attributing such abilities to infants around the beginning of their second year of life. I argue that prior to their first uses of words, infants already have some grasp of others' minds â in particular, of when others are trying to communicate with them, and of what it is that they are trying to communicate. On the account that I sketch, infants learn how to use and understand words because they grasp the ends to which those words can be used as means, and because they are able to imitate the purposive communicative actions of their caregivers, and thereby produce utterances of their own.
learning thing word infant start use others word communicative_interaction cognitive_ability must attribute order_explain set variety feature include knowledge reference communicative intention lewis like linguistic_convention one_would need grasp order able use_word communicative_interaction develop_account cognitive_ability grasp feature would require defend plausibility attribute ability infant around begin second year life argue prior first word infant already grasp others mind particular others try communicate try communicate account sketch infant learn use_word grasp end word_use mean able imitate purposive communicative_action thereby produce utterance