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Children's interpretations of homonyms: a developmental study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 1997

MICHÈLE M. M. MAZZOCCO
MICHÈLE M. M. MAZZOCCO
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
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Abstract

The effect of homonymity on children's use of semantic context to derive word meaning was examined in two studies. Participants were presented with stories that included three types of key words: nonsense words, familiar words used accurately, and homonymous words. Thirty-two preschoolers aged 3;7 to 5;4, 32 second graders aged 7;1 to 8;8, and 16 college students in Study 1 indicated the keys words' meaning by selecting one of six possible illustrations per key word. In Study 2, 16 toddlers aged 2;9 to 3;3, 32 preschoolers aged 4;0 to 4;11, 32 second graders aged 7;0 to 8;11, and 32 fifth graders aged 10;1 to 11;8 indicated key word meanings either by enacting each story with paper dolls or by selecting one of six possible illustrations. Word type and age, but not response mode, affected children's interpretations. Children from all four age groups made fewer contextually based interpretations of homonymous words than of nonsense words. Fifth graders and adults made more contextually based (rather than literal) interpretations of homonymous words than did younger children. The results suggest that homonymity is a powerful inhibitor of children's tendency to derive a meaning for a new word from context.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Child Language , Volume 24 , Issue 2 , June 1997 , pp. 441 - 467
Copyright
© 1997 Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

This work represents, in part, dissertation research completed by the author. The author wishes to acknowledge Susan C. Somerville, who served as her doctoral advisor. The author thanks all the participants and their parents, the teachers and school principals who assisted with subject recruitment, Jef Miller, Lisa Cramer Whitfield and Cynthia Kaye Jenkins. Additional thanks are extended to an anonymous reviewer who provided valuable comments on an earlier draft.