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Table 8 Results of the Arabic semantic test indicating the development of semantics among children from 2 years to less than 4 years

From: Development of an Arabic test for assessment of semantics for the Arabic-speaking children: the Arabic semantic test

 

2–< 2.6 years

2.6–< 3 years

3–3.6 years

3.6–< 4 years

I. Identification of lexical semantic classes

Nouns under noun classes

Receptive

All family members except sister and brother, farm animals, food kinds, body parts, vegetables, and fruits, daily used common objects, clothing items (shoes, socks, jeans), places, wild animals (giraffe, lion, and elephant)

Family members, wild animals (giraffe, lion, elephant, and monkey), birds, plants, insects, vegetables and fruits, clothing items, food, electronic devices, furniture, common daily used objects, body parts, colors, places (house, street, sea, playground)

Some means of transportation (car, bicycle, airplane). Some jobs (doctor, soccer mainly)

All means of transportation, electronic devices, places, jobs, places

Most colors (red, yellow, blue, white, black, jobs (soccer, doctor, policeman)

Differentiate between birds (chicken and roaster), reptiles, plants, and all jobs

Expressive

Some family members (mother and father) and grandparents if they are alive

Some farm animals (sheep, cats, dogs, and horses), some food kinds. Body parts (mouth, eyes, hands, and feet)

Some daily common objects (plate, spoon, money, and keys)

Wild animals (lion only), vegetables and fruits (cucumber, grapes, and banana only), means of transportation (care only), plants (flower), and fish

Label little of verbs (drink, bath, comb)

All farm animals, fruits, clothing items, food kinds, common objects, and body parts, farm animals, fruits, food, clothing items, electronic devices (mobile, fan, washing machine), furniture (chair, table, door, bed)

Some wild animals (giraffe, lion, elephant), some vegetables, some colors (red, blue, yellow, and black mainly), and some means of transportation (car, airplane, bicycle)

Birds (duck mainly), insects (butterfly and fish), plants, places (sea only)

All family members (sister and brother) if they have any, wild animals and farm animals, food kinds, vegetables, means of transportation, furniture, electronic devices, colors, plants (flower and tree)

Some birds (mainly ducks, birds, and chickens)

Little insects (butterfly and fish), little places (sea, a house only), jobs (doctor only)

Most insects and reptiles

Some of the places (house, street, and sea)

Verbs

Receptive

Most action verbs

All action verbs

All action verbs

All action verbs

Expressive

 

Labels some of it (comb, play, eat, drink, wash, play)

Labels most of them

Labels all action verbs

Adjectives

Receptive

None

Most adjectives (big, dirty, beautiful, cold, clean, ugly, hot)

Knows all adjectives

Knows all the adjectives

Expressive

None

None

Labels some of them (big, small, beautiful, hot)

Labels most of them (big, small, beautiful, clean, ugly, hot)

II. Identify the name of a certain prototype

Receptive

Identify 2 prototypes (food and animal)

Identify 2 prototypes (food and animal)

Identify all prototypes

Identify all prototypes

Expressive

None

None

Identify prototype (toys)

Identify the prototype (toys and food)

III. Identification of basic concepts

Receptive

None

Concept of color change, time concept (day and night), some of the place indicators (above and under)

Concept of quantity (more than), size change, and all place indicators

Time concept (summer and winter), the more complex preposition (beside and in-between) is better understood

Expressive

None

Can label the place indicators (above and under)

None

Can label place indicators (above and under, beside and in-between)

IV. Categorization

Receptive

None

Can group clothes and fruits

Can group all objects and identify their prototype

Can group all objects and identify their prototype

Expressive

None

None

Could group (clothes)

Could group (clothes and fruits)

V. Word relations

Receptive

None

Understands some polysemy

Understand polysemy, some meronyms

Understand polysemy and some meronym

Expressive

None

Some antonyms (up and down, small, and big), some reverse verbs (laugh and cry, wakes up and sleep)

Most reverse verbs

Most antonyms (up and down, small, big, sick, and healthy) and most reverse verbs