The Wug Test Overview

What was the purpose of the Wug Test?

Who conducted the Wug Test?

What were children able to demonstrate in the Wug Test?

The Wug Test involves the child being presented with a drawing of an unfamiliar creature and told, 'this is a _____'.

What do children say when shown two wugs?

Which of the following is NOT a plural allomorph?

What is the most general form of plural allomorph?

Which plural allomorph appears after voiceless consonants?

Which plural allomorph appears after sibilants?

The Wug Test Overview

Conducted by Jean Burko-Gleason in 1958 to explore language acquisition in English-speaking children.
Aimed to study children's understanding and application of plural forms and other inflectional morphemes.

Experiment Design

Involved presenting a child with a drawing of a fictional creature called a "wug."
The child is asked to pluralize the term upon seeing a second wug.

Findings on Language Acquisition

Burko demonstrated that children recognize and apply underlying language patterns rather than mimicry.
Children displayed implicit knowledge of English morphological rules by correctly pluralizing nonsense words.

Responses to the Test

Successful participants use "wugs" when pluralizing, indicating they grasp regular pluralization rules.
Illustrates understanding of when to apply specific plural allomorphs based on phonetic context.

Plural Allomorphs Explained

Major forms of plural allomorphs are /Z/, /S/, and /tZ/.
/Z/ serves as the default plural form, as in "dogs."
/S/ is used for voiceless consonants, exemplified in "cats."
/tZ/ occurs after sibilant sounds, seen in "horses."

Implications of the Study

Supports the theory that children learn language by internalizing rules from their environment.
Highlights the cognitive ability of children to generalize language rules to new word forms.

Explore the groundbreaking Wug Test conducted by Jean Burko-Gleason in 1958. This quiz delves into children's understanding of pluralization and morphological rules through innovative experimental design. Discover how children apply linguistic patterns rather than simple mimicry.