word-learning through ostension
I was reading a paper on children learning adjective meanings, and the paper kept talking about children learning words through ostension. I didn't recognize the word, but almost figured it out from looking at the contexts where it was being used -- which turns out to be very nearly what the word means (ostension, in this case, is essentially "definition by pointing at examples"). However, I asked a friend, "What's ostension?" He, having the internet on his lap at the time, looked it up and gave me this answer:
\Os*ten"sion\, n. [L. ostensio a showing: cf. F. ostension. See Ostend.] (Eccl.) The showing of the sacrament on the altar in order that it may receive the adoration of the communicants.
I really enjoy the notion that one way to teach kids words is to bless a bunch of examples and set them on an altar to be adored. And learned from, dammit!
Later, in a meeting with a labmate and my advisor, my labmate accidentally referred to learning through "ostentation". I speculate that one could learn some words, like perhaps "gaudy", through both ostension and ostentation...
\Os*ten"sion\, n. [L. ostensio a showing: cf. F. ostension. See Ostend.] (Eccl.) The showing of the sacrament on the altar in order that it may receive the adoration of the communicants.
I really enjoy the notion that one way to teach kids words is to bless a bunch of examples and set them on an altar to be adored. And learned from, dammit!
Later, in a meeting with a labmate and my advisor, my labmate accidentally referred to learning through "ostentation". I speculate that one could learn some words, like perhaps "gaudy", through both ostension and ostentation...