At dinner,three-year-old Matias overhears his father tell the waitress that his tasty hamburger was "superb." Matias has never heard this word before.The next day Matias tells his mother that the grilled-cheese sandwich she made him for lunch was superb.What do we call the process by which Matias likely learned the word "superb"

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Matias likely learned the word "superb" through fast mapping, which is the process of quickly learning and retaining new words after hearing them used in context. Matias heard his father use the word to describe his hamburger, and then applied it to his own sandwich the next day based on his understanding of the positive connotation of the word. Neither underextension nor overextension accurately describe Matias' use of the word "superb," as he used it appropriately to describe something he enjoyed. Telegraphic speech is a separate concept, referring to the simplified, abbreviated speech used by young children as they develop language skills.

At Dinner,three-Year-Old Matias Overhears His Father Tell the Waitress That