When Padraig points to a bowl of soup and says "soup," his infant son Reid doesn't know if that word refers to the bowl,the contents of the bowl,the plate under the bowl,or the spoon in the bowl.Reid is dealing with what linguists call the
A)over- and under-extension problem.
B)immediate reference problem.
C)linguistic relativity problem.
D)deferred accommodation problem.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The immediate reference problem refers to the challenge that infants face when mapping a word to its referent in the immediate context. In this scenario, Reid is unsure of whether the word "soup" refers to the bowl, the contents of the bowl, the plate under the bowl, or the spoon in the bowl. This is an example of the immediate reference problem, as Reid is trying to figure out the specific referent of the word in the current context. The other options listed are not relevant to this scenario.

When Padraig Points to a Bowl of Soup and Says