ABSTRACT
One of the more fascinating things about children is their ability to grasp complex linguistic relations without much effort, simply by experiencing them. By the time most children are about 3 years old, for example, they have made a remarkable discovery: Abstract “pictures” can represent words and convey meaning. With this discovery, they have taken the first step toward reading, and it isn’t long before they are able to match individual written words with the things these words designate. This is no small accomplishment, given the level of abstraction involved in making the connection between symbols and the world.
