Jean Berko Gleason: 2 ideas worth knowing

2 ideas from Jean Berko Gleason, each explained in a minute and credited to the original work. Free on Savvy.

A made-up creature called a 'wug' proved kids learn grammar rules, not just words
In 1958, Jean Berko Gleason showed preschoolers a drawing of an invented creature, a 'wug,' then a picture of two, prompting 'Now there are two ___.' Children who had never seen th…
— Jean Berko Gleason, The Child's Learning of English Morphology
A nonsense word revealed that grammar rules live in the mind, not memory
In 1958, Jean Berko Gleason showed preschoolers a made-up creature labeled a 'wug,' then a second one, and asked them to finish: 'Now there are two ___.' Children who had never hea…
— Jean Berko Gleason, The Child's Learning of English Morphology

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