Through everyday conversations and interactions, children utilize language to learn about the world and how to reason within it. In this book, Clare Painter presents a case study of one child's use of language from age 2-1/2 to 5. She examines the role of language development in interpreting the key domains of experience: the world of things, the world of events, the world of semiosis, and the construal of cause and effect. By tapping into systemic functional theories, Painter constructs a convincing argument that cognitive development is a linguistic process and that new linguistic possibilities can prepare a child for later learning in school.
