Abstract

words Cru.-rp.xn, Dents:. On Relational Meaning: The Acquisition of Verb Meanin;. CnrLi DevlaoPxtcrT, 1978 . 49, 9SS-99S . The acquisition of verb meaning is very different from the acquisition of simple noun meaning . ("Simple nouns" comprise concrete nouns and proper nouns .) Verbs are slower to be acquired than simple nouns . Verbs are used by children and adults with greater breadth of application than simple nouns . Finall%, a componential account of meaning appears to fit the acquisition of verb meaning somewhat better than it does that of simple nouns . These differences reflect an im ortant difference in the kind of meaning conveyed by verbs and simple nouns. Simple nouns reler to real-world entities, and verbs convey relationships among entities .