From Gestural to Verbal Deixis: a Longitudinal Study with Spanish Infants and Toddlers

Abstract

This study examined longitudinally how infants’ display of gestural and verbal deictic means to indicate targets is related to a certain target topology and to a specific mother attention pattern. Eight Spanish 1- and 2-year-olds and their mothers were observed every three months during one year, while performing routine activities. Results showed that the younger children usually pointed alone or combined with a vocalization to objects placed within the boundaries of the visual field. The older children usually pointed combined with a content word or with a deictic word or said a deictic word alone to indicate objects under manipulation, mainly placed in the close peripersonal space. Across ages, mothers supported the child’s use of deictic means by looking at the object as well as at the child’s face. Findings are discussed in terms of the functions that gestural and verbal deixis may serve for early verbal development and, specifically, to the grounding of reference.

Acquisition of Demonstratives in English and Spanish

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“…Bates, Camaioni & Volterra, 1975) to focus the participant's attention on objects. After this stage, it is reported that children continue use both pointing and deictic terms throughout development (Rodrigo et al, 2004 ; see also Clark & Sengul, 1978 for a similar stage of development from pointing to emergence of deictic words), even though not much research is done on later years of childhood. After this stage, it is reported that children continue use both pointing and deictic terms throughout development (Rodrigo et al, 2004 ; see also Clark & Sengul, 1978 for a similar stage of development from pointing to emergence of deictic words), even though not much research is done on later years of childhood.…”

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