Hinzen, WolframMattos, Otávio2022-05-172022-05-172023Hinzen W, Mattos O. Explaining early generics: a linguistic model. Mind Lang. 2023;38:256-73. DOI: 10.1111/mila.123670268-1064http://hdl.handle.net/10230/53104Data de publicació electrònica: 20-09-2021Preschoolers naturally form mental representations that capture generic knowledge about object kinds. These have been considered to pose a special explanatory and learning challenge. We here argue for a new deductive model of them, where (i) the representations in question have a linguistic format from the start; (ii) they are inherently structurally simpler compared to reference to individuals or quantifications; and (iii) formed in communicative contexts because communication in humans is linked to language. In this model, specific language-related resources explain the scope and limits of the forms of knowledge obtained, illustrating how language and cognition develop in tandem.application/pdfengThis is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permitsuse and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications oradaptations are made. © 2021 The Authors.Mind & Languagepublished by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.info:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mila.12367info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess