Research consistently finds that language and theory of mind are interrelated. The content
and qualities of language that specifically predict theory of mind remain under investigation …

Attitude verbs, such as think, want, and know, describe internal mental states that leave few
cues as to their meanings in the physical world. Consequently, their acquisition requires …

Abstract Language and Theory of Mind come together in communication, but their
relationship has been intensely contested. I hypothesize that pragmatic markers connect …

This paper investigates how children figure out that modals like must can be used to express
both epistemic and “root”(ie non epistemic) flavors. The existing acquisition literature shows …

This paper revisits the longstanding observation that children produce modal verbs (eg,
must, could) with their root meanings (eg, abilities, obligations) by age 2, typically a year or …

Does language have a role to play in conceptual development, and if so, what is that role?
Understanding the contents of another person's mind parallels the development in early …

It is often assumed that cross-linguistically more prevalent distinctions are easier to learn
(Typological Prevalence Hypothesis; TPH). Prior work supports this idea in phonology …

In this study, we address the mapping problem for modal words: how do children learn the
form‐to‐meaning mappings for words like could or have to in their input languages …

Words have meanings vastly undetermined by the contexts in which they occur. Their
acquisition therefore presents formidable problems of induction. Lila Gleitman and …

I argue that semantics is the study of the proprietary database of a centrally inaccessible and
informationally encapsulated input–output system. This system's role is to encode and …