While visiting the House of Reptiles, four-year-old Montel excitedly shouts out, "Look at that tongue Mommy!" as he points to a snake sticking out its tongue. Montel's two-year-old sister Sage now thinks that snakes are called "tongues." Why does she make this incorrect assumption?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Sage makes this incorrect assumption due to the whole-object assumption, which is a language development concept where children assume that a new word refers to the whole object rather than to its parts, properties, actions, or other aspects. In this case, Sage assumes the word "tongue" refers to the entire snake, not just its tongue.

While Visiting the House of Reptiles, Four-Year-Old Montel Excitedly Shouts