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Nouns and Verbs: A Comparison of Definitional Style

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Abstract

The present investigation is a study of the definitional style of nouns and verbs in typically developing school-age children. A total of 30 children in upper-elementary grades provided verbal definitions for 10 common high-frequency nouns (e.g., apple, boat, baby) and 10 common high- frequency verbs (e.g., climb, sing, throw). All definitions were coded and scored for semantic content (meaning) and grammatical form (syntax). Results revealed no significant difference between noun and verb definitions for content scores. For form, however, noun definition scores were significantly higher than verb definition scores. A supplementary analysis was conducted to explore development of noun and verb definitions in upper-elementary grades. Input factors, word frequency, as well as theory of the organization of the mental lexicon are discussed in relation to definitional skill.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Hearing, Speech and Language Sciences, Ohio University, W233, Grover Center Athens, OH, 45701

    Sally A. Marinellie

  2. Department of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA

    Cynthia J. Johnson

Authors
  1. Sally A. Marinellie
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  2. Cynthia J. Johnson
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Marinellie, S.A., Johnson, C.J. Nouns and Verbs: A Comparison of Definitional Style. J Psycholinguist Res 33, 217–235 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOPR.0000027963.80639.88

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOPR.0000027963.80639.88

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