The Representation and Processing of Measure Phrases by Four-Year-Olds

While many investigations of number in linguistic and conceptual development have focused attention on how and when number words are acquired (Carey, 2004; Fuson, 1988; Gelman & Gallistel, 1978; Wynn, 1990, 1992; inter alia), and, to a lesser extent, what children have to learn about the interaction of number words with other elements in the syntax and semantics (cf. Musolino, 2004, 2009), the occurrence of number words in expressions of measurement has been largely ignored. We have narrowed our focus to so-called Attributive MPs such as 4-foot rope and 3-pound strawberries, where the MP appears in attributive position, because by four years of age, children demonstrate a mastery of a number of key linguistic components for interpreting such MPs. First, they typically have solid counting skills and can map number words onto numerosities beyond the subitizing range. Second, they produce a wide range of NPs where a noun is modified by one or more adjectives. Finally, they both produce and comprehend noun-noun (NN) compounds (e.g., mouse house) phrases with similar surface structure.