Includes bibliographical references (pages 267-290) and indexes
First words -- Fast mapping and the course of word learning -- Word learning and theory of mind -- Object names and other common nouns -- Pronouns and proper names -- Concepts and categories -- Naming representations -- Learning words through linguistic context -- Number words -- Words and concepts -- Final words
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"According to Paul Bloom, children learn words through sophisticated cognitive abilities that exist for other purposes. These include the ability to infer others' intentions, the ability to acquire concepts, and appreciation of syntactic structure, and certain general learning and memory abilities. The acquisition of even simple nouns requires rich conceptual, social, and linguistic capacities interacting in complex ways." "This book requires no background in psychology or linguistics. Topics include the effects of language on spatial reasoning, the origin of essentialist beliefs, and the young child's understanding of representational art. The book should appeal to general readers interested in language and cognition as well as to researchers in the field."--Jacket