The Development of Idiomatic Meaning in Children
- 1 July 1983
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Language and Speech
- Vol. 26 (3) , 263-272
- https://doi.org/10.1177/002383098302600307
Abstract
This study examined the development of idiomatic expression. Sixty subjects were presented with a series of drawings corresponding to sentences exhibiting dual semantic representation (i.e., a literal and an idiomatic component). A literalization strategy appeared to be operating between the ages of 6 and 9 years and an idiomatization strategy predominated from the age of 9 through adulthood. Comprehension of idiomatic meaning appeared to develop prior to the ability to verbally interpret idioms.Keywords
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