Naming the Living Things: Linguistic, Experiential and Cultural Factors in Wichí and Spanish Speaking Children
In: Journal of Cognition and CultureConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Formosa (UNaF) Avenida Gutnisky 3200, 3600 Formosa Argentina
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This work focuses on the underlying conceptual structure of children’s category of living things from a cross-cultural, cross-linguistic perspective. School-aged children (n = 129) from three Argentinean communities (rural Wichí-speaking, rural Spanish-speaking, urban Spanish-speaking) were asked to generate the names of living things. Analyses were focused on the typicality, semantic organization, and hierarchical level of the names mentioned. We identified convergences among the names generated by children in all three communities, as well as key differences: the typicality, habitats and hierarchical level of the categories mentioned varied as a function of children’s language and their direct experience with the natural world. These findings provide evidence concerning the role of language, culture and experience in shaping children’s folkbiological concepts.
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Naming the Living Things: Linguistic, Experiential and Cultural Factors in Wichí and Spanish Speaking Children
In: Journal of Cognition and CultureConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Formosa (UNaF) Avenida Gutnisky 3200, 3600 Formosa Argentina
Search for other papers by Andrea S. Taverna in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Sandra R. Waxman in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Douglas L. Medin in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Nora Moscoloni in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Olga A. Peralta in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
This work focuses on the underlying conceptual structure of children’s category of living things from a cross-cultural, cross-linguistic perspective. School-aged children (n = 129) from three Argentinean communities (rural Wichí-speaking, rural Spanish-speaking, urban Spanish-speaking) were asked to generate the names of living things. Analyses were focused on the typicality, semantic organization, and hierarchical level of the names mentioned. We identified convergences among the names generated by children in all three communities, as well as key differences: the typicality, habitats and hierarchical level of the categories mentioned varied as a function of children’s language and their direct experience with the natural world. These findings provide evidence concerning the role of language, culture and experience in shaping children’s folkbiological concepts.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 629 | 130 | 14 |
| Full Text Views | 231 | 4 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 77 | 15 | 0 |