tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297242917419089261.post5934665868636260892..comments2024-03-09T01:05:10.754-08:00Comments on Babies Learning Language: Semantic bleaching in early languageMichael Frankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00681533046507717821noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297242917419089261.post-52680843076536492482014-10-22T11:05:33.266-07:002014-10-22T11:05:33.266-07:00[Sorry for the late reply, Google didn't let m...[Sorry for the late reply, Google didn't let me know you had replied]<br /><br />He'll use it both ways. It's sometimes pointing at a distant object, trying to alert me to it without naming it (either because he wants it or to get me to do something with it). Also if we're reading a book and I'll point to something and say "what's this" or "what noise does this make" he'll say "uh-huh" if he doesn't know, or just while he's thinking - sometimes he follows it with the correct word after a few seconds, so he's just using it as an "ummmm...". He will use it without being prompted too, e.g. if he's eating dinner and there is something on his plate he doesn't recognize. As I said it doesn't seem like a question and he doesn't look to us for a response, he's just broadcasting that he doesn't know what this thing is.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06060979030043446190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297242917419089261.post-62253398771544167682014-10-17T12:32:52.253-07:002014-10-17T12:32:52.253-07:00Cool! Does he use it in combination with pointing,...Cool! Does he use it in combination with pointing, as an indexical? I've seen many kids around this age say "eh eh" as a "this one" or a "gimme that" ... Or is it more like a filler item, like if you asked "where's the truck" he might say "uh-huh" to mean, "I didn't understand" or "I don't know"?Michael Frankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00681533046507717821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297242917419089261.post-17846921666633531682014-10-17T10:26:08.195-07:002014-10-17T10:26:08.195-07:00I've seen this a bit with my son (22mo), but h...I've seen this a bit with my son (22mo), but he largely uses a different strategy: he has a catch-all word (sounds like "uh-huh") that he uses as a general "that" or "this" to refer to things or situations he doesn't have a good label for. This seems to limit semantic bleaching for the rest of his vocab, since all the uncertainty gets loaded onto one word. It's not used as a question (he has a clear intonation and hand motion for questions), but if we provide the correct label he'll try to use it. He also uses it in social situations where he knows he should make a response but doesn't know what to say, like if someone talks to him on the phone.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06060979030043446190noreply@blogger.com