Generic noun phrases (e.g. Tigers are fierce) are of interest
for their
semantic properties: they capture ‘essential’ properties, are
timeless,
and are context-free. The present study examines use of generic noun
phrases by preschool children and their mothers. Mother–child pairs
were videotaped while looking through a book of animal pictures. Each
page depicted either a single instance of a particular category (e.g. one
crab) or multiple instances of a particular category (e.g. many crabs).
The results indicated a striking difference in how generics vs. non-generics
were distributed, both in the speech of mothers and in the
speech of preschool children. Whereas the form of non-generic noun
phrases was closely linked to the structure of the page (i.e. singular
noun
phrases were used more often when a single instance was presented;
plural noun phrases were used more often when multiple instances were
presented), the form of generic noun phrases was independent of the
information depicted (e.g. plural noun phrases were as frequent when
only one instance was presented as when multiple instances were
presented). We interpret the data as providing evidence that generic
noun phrases differ in their semantics and conceptual organization from
non-generic noun phrases, both in the input to young children and in
children's own speech. Thus, this simple linguistic device may provide
input to, and a reflection of, children's early developing notion
of ‘kinds’.