ABSTRACT
Where do words come from? Children sometimes ask questions like “Why is a cat called a cat?” Often they mean, is there any reason that a cat has to be called ‘cat’ instead of ‘dog’ or ‘mean-furrymousekiller’ or ‘glargletroke’? This is a dawning awareness that words are not a permanent feature of the world, but rather they are a temporary and changeable human invention.
