Why Do Children Learn the Words They Do?

Abstract

Most children can produce a few words by the end of their first year and rapidly acquire almost 30 times as many words in the following year. Although this general pattern remains the same for children learning different languages, the words individual children know are considerably different. In this article, we consider the possibility that children are an important source of variability in early vocabulary acquisition in the context of curiositydriven approaches to language learning. In particular, we review research that supports two interrelated claims: that what children know and what children are interested in interact in shaping what children learn. We suggest that this, as well as the possibility that children are motivated intrinsically to learn language, sets the stage for early vocabulary learning.

Children learn words easier when they are interested in the category to which the word belongs

“…While this variability has historically been explained in terms of differences in the input children receive, recent literature places the child in a more active role, showing that children actively seek and retain information best when it is provided at the child's request (cf. Mani & Ackermann, for a review). Other work has focused on the role of the child's prior semantic knowledge on word learning, suggesting that children more readily learn words from semantically dense categories (Borovsky et al, , ).…”

“…Were caregivers to be as aware of their child's interests as the current study suggests, to what extent is it likely they provide increased input on topics related to their child's interests? This might help to critically link curiosity‐driven approaches (Mani & Ackermann, ) back to input‐based accounts with the possibility that the two might be highly interconnected: The child develops her own interests based on the input that she is exposed to, in turn shaping her caregivers’ awareness of her interests and subsequent input that she may receive. The child, her interests and the input she receives may, therefore, exist in a perennial loop dynamically shaping the child's environment, her knowledge and interest in particular aspects of this environment.…”

“…While the general pattern of vocabulary growth remains relatively stable across children learning different languages, differences in the number of words known to individual children are observable from as early as 8 months. For instance, German vocabulary data (Szagun, Stumper, & Schramm, , the German adaptation of the MBCDI) shows that, at 20 months, 52% of children produce the word Bagger ‘digger’ and 48% of children produce the word Bär ‘bear’ (see Mani & Ackermann, for further discussion). Of the children who produce at least one of these words, 52% of them produce the one but not the other.…”

“…Why are there such early differences in the individual words known to individual children? What determines whether a child is a Bär baby or a Bagger baby (Mani & Ackermann, )?…”

“…Several factors contribute to such individual differences (see Mani & Ackermann, for a review) and much research has examined the extent to which learning about particular objects or in particular situations is driven by the child's interest in these objects or these situations. In keeping with curiosity‐driven approaches to learning, research suggests that 16‐month‐old children actively use pointing gestures to elicit desired information (Begus & Southgate, ), and their learning outcomes are better when information is provided in response to their pointing (Begus et al, ).…”