The relationship between symbolic play and language acquisition: A meta-analytic review

Quinn, Sara; Donnelly, Seamus; Kidd, Evan

doi:10.1016/j.dr.2018.05.005

Cited by 119 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 77 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Second, they are linked through common ontogenetic roots (Piaget, 1962;Belsky and Most, 1981). Third, they are mutually supportive behaviors (Vygotski, 1962;Bruner, 1983;Levy, 1984;Quinn et al, 2018). Finally, play helps the developing child to gain language exposure (and thus access to richer and more varied language structures and uses) and language practice (usually in the form of playful child-directed activities like songs and nursery rhymes) (Bebout and Belke, 2017).…”

Section: Ws Domestication and Language Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Williams syndrome, human self-domestication, and language evolution

Niego¹,

Benítez‐Burraco²

2018

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Language evolution resulted from changes in our biology, behavior, and culture. One source of these changes might be human self-domestication. Williams syndrome (WS) is a clinical condition with a clearly defined genetic basis and resulting in a distinctive behavioral and cognitive profile, including enhanced sociability. In this paper we show evidence that the WS phenotype can be satisfactorily construed as a hyper-domesticated human phenotype, plausibly resulting from the effect of the WS hemydeletion on several candidates for domestication and neural crest function. We also discuss the consequences of this link between domestication and WS for our current understanding of language evolution.

show abstract

Section: Ws Domestication and Language Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Williams syndrome, human self-domestication, and language evolution

Niego¹,

Benítez‐Burraco²

2018

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…While functional play only correlates with expressive language, symbolic play, in which children make substitutions and transfer between objects and actions, significantly correlates with both expressive and receptive language . This link between symbolic play and language development has recently been confirmed through meta‐analytical evidence . Symbolic play can support language acquisition indirectly and directly.…”

Section: Learning Complex Languages: the Role Of Playmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…7,78,79 In addition to sharing common origins, language and play can also be mutually supportive behaviors. [80][81][82] While functional play only correlates with expressive language, symbolic play, in which children make substitutions and transfer between objects and actions, significantly correlates with both expressive and receptive language. 83 This link between symbolic play and language development has recently been confirmed through meta-analytical evidence.…”

Section: Imitation Ensures Transmission Of Cultural Traits Like Toolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…83 This link between symbolic play and language development has recently been confirmed through meta-analytical evidence. 82 Symbolic play can support language acquisition indirectly and directly. The indirect support comes from the opportunity for the developing child to gain language exposure and language practice.…”

Section: Imitation Ensures Transmission Of Cultural Traits Like Toolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Playing with language, creating complexity: Has play contributed to the evolution of complex language?

Langley

Benítez‐Burraco

Kempe

2019

Evolutionary Anthropology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We argue that enhanced play may have contributed to the emergence of complex language systems in modern humans (Homo sapiens). To support this idea, we first discuss evidence for an expansion of playing behavior connected to the extended childhood of modern human children, and the potential of this period for the transmission of complex cultural traits, including language. We then link two of the most important functions of play—exploration and innovation—to the potential for cumulative cultural evolution in general and for the emergence of complex language in particular. If correct, the shorter childhood of Neanderthals—involving restrictions on time to experiment and innovate—may have restricted their language (and other symbolic) system/s. Consequently, fully investigating the role that play may have had in the transmission of language and the development of symbolic cultures in both modern humans and Neanderthals provides a new avenue of research for Paleolithic archaeology and related disciplines.

show abstract

“…Regarding enhanced play behaviour, we believe that it equally helped improve aspects of language acquisition of these more complex languages. Play is linked to language through common ontogenetic roots, as already showed by Piaget (1962), and supports language acquisition in many different ways: it increases language exposure; it allows to exercise many of the learning mechanisms involved in language acquisition; it enables to explore new constructions and new uses of known constructions; and it favours language practice (Bruner, 1983;Levy, 1984;Bebout and Belke, 2017;Quinn et al, 2018). Rhymes and verbal games are outstanding examples.…”

Section: Human Self-domestication and (The Evolution Of) Prehistoric mentioning

confidence: 84%

Prehistoric languages and human self-domestication

Benítez‐Burraco¹

2018

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The comparative method in linguistics has enabled to trace phylogenetic relationship among distant languages and reconstruct extinct languages from the past. Nonetheless, it has limitations and shortcomings, which results, in part, from some of its methodological assumptions (particularly, its heavy reliance on the lexicon), but mostly, from the real nature of language change, as languages do not only change by divergence from a common ancestor, but also as a result of contact with non-related languages. At the same time, ongoing research suggests that language change depends not only of the internal dynamics of linguistic systems, but also of factors external to languages, particularly, aspects of human cognition and features of our physical and cultural environments. In this paper, it is argued that the limitations of historical linguistics can be partially alleviated by the consideration of the links between aspects of language structure and aspects of the biological underpinnings of human language, human cognition, and human behaviour. Specifically, it will be claimed that research on human self-domestication (that is, the existence in humans of features of domesticated mammals compared to wild extant primates), which seemingly entailed physical, cognitive, and behavioural changes in our species, can help illuminate facets of the languages spoken in remote Prehistory, the vast time period during which human beings have lived for longer. Overall, we can expect that the languages spoken in that epoch exhibit most of the features of the so-called esoteric languages, which are used by presentday, close-knit, small human communities that share a great amount of knowledge about their environment.

show abstract

The relationship between symbolic play and language acquisition: A meta-analytic review

Cited by 119 publications

References 77 publications

Williams syndrome, human self-domestication, and language evolution

Williams syndrome, human self-domestication, and language evolution

Playing with language, creating complexity: Has play contributed to the evolution of complex language?

Prehistoric languages and human self-domestication

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About