Investigating the acquisition of the number category by preschool children
https://doi.org/10.26907/2541-7738.2025.4.143-153
Abstract
This article overviews the theoretical foundations for studying the grammatical number of nouns from the perspectives of linguistics and ontolinguistics. The topic is relevant because the number of children with speech difficulties has increased in recent years, thus highlighting the need for early identification and treatment of speech underdevelopment to support them. The opinions expressed by Russian and foreign linguists on the acquisition of the grammatical category of number by preschool children were summarized. The strategies used by preschool children to make plural nouns in their speech were analyzed. The cognitive prerequisites for the emergence of the concept of plurality were identified, and the age at which children first begin to produce plural forms of nouns was determined. The learning conditions under which preschool children develop the ability to correctly use plural forms of nouns were specified. The default rule for making plural nouns was formulated. The findings reveal that successful mastery of the morphological category of number is the first step in learning the grammatical structure of language and therefore requires further detailed consideration.
About the Author
T. P. Mustakova
Kazan Federal University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Tatyana P. Mustakova, Teaching Assistant, Department of Applied and Experimental Linguistics
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For citations:
Mustakova T.P. Investigating the acquisition of the number category by preschool children. Kazan Journal of Historical, Linguistic, and Legal Research. 2025;167(4):143-153. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.26907/2541-7738.2025.4.143-153
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