Word Learning

Synonyms

Lexical acquisition; Lexical development

Definition

The phrase word learning generally describes the act of learning the meaning of a word. A word is an arbitrary symbol used to refer to, or stand for, some concept in the world (e.g., an object or event). Word learning occurs when the word is linked (i.e., mapped) to that concept. Word learning is commonly measured using either comprehension (e.g., pointing or looking) or production (e.g., saying the word) tasks. Research using these tasks suggests that comprehension typically precedes production, both for individual words (e.g., the word “ball” is likely to be understood before it is used) and in the developing lexicon (e.g., a 16-month-old toddler may comprehend a couple of hundred words but produce less than 50) (Fenson et al. 1994).

The study of word learning is part of the much larger study of language development. While words are learned continuously throughout the life span, research tends to focus on learning in young...