Which statement describes overextension?

Which statement describes overextension?

• A. Extending a word to too many referents
• B. Limiting to a narrow referent
• C. Using a non-existing word instead
• D. Memorizing words without comprehension

Answer: (A)

Overextension happens when a child applies a word to more referents than it actually covers. It’s a natural early strategy in language learning: the child has a word they know, but their overall vocabulary is still small, so they generalize the word to a broader set of objects or events that share a notable feature or function. For example, calling all four-legged animals “dog,” or treating every fruit as an “apple.” This shows how children map new words to familiar categories and test their understanding through broad application, refining meanings as they hear feedback and gain more experience. That’s why the described statement fits best: a word extended to too many referents captures the essence of overextension. By contrast, limiting a word to a narrow referent is underextension, using a non-existing word is merely producing a new or pseudo-word, and memorizing words without comprehension reflects a lack of semantic understanding rather than broad misapplication of a known word. Over time, with exposure and correction, children typically narrow these broad uses toward accurate categories.

Overextension happens when a child applies a word to more referents than it actually covers. It’s a natural early strategy in language learning: the child has a word they know, but their overall vocabulary is still small, so they generalize the word to a broader set of objects or events that share a notable feature or function. For example, calling all four-legged animals “dog,” or treating every fruit as an “apple.” This shows how children map new words to familiar categories and test their understanding through broad application, refining meanings as they hear feedback and gain more experience.

That’s why the described statement fits best: a word extended to too many referents captures the essence of overextension. By contrast, limiting a word to a narrow referent is underextension, using a non-existing word is merely producing a new or pseudo-word, and memorizing words without comprehension reflects a lack of semantic understanding rather than broad misapplication of a known word. Over time, with exposure and correction, children typically narrow these broad uses toward accurate categories.