prelinguistic
1
7.8
- adjective
- /priːˈlɪŋɡwɪstɪk/
- Specialized
- Before children acquire language, they often engage in prelinguistic interactions that involve sounds and movements.
Examples
-
There is no prelinguistic reality other than the social life forms of the group.
Academic text (1992) -
Unfortunately, this kind of postmodernism denies such a wider reference and prelinguistic reality.
Academic text (1992) -
For Vygotsky (1962), speech and thought come from different roots: there is a prelinguistic phase in the use of thought and preintellectual.
Academic text (2004) -
It remains in the background as a prelinguistic and preconceptual self-presence that accompanies all activities.
Academic text (2010) -
Thus, on the one hand, origin and its transcendence; on the other, texture and movement; on the one hand, belief in the priority and accessibility of the prelinguistic; and on the other, the conviction that a pure nonlinguistic origin is absolutely inaccessible, if not impossible.
Academic text (1995) -
Just as there is a certain a priori link between places such as the Evre Valley and the future of the experiencing subject, as was mentioned earlier, it seems as well that while the Evre is associated with a certain primal, prelinguistic perception, it also represents, as the following passage would suggest, the potential for expression:
Academic text (1995) -
While Lonergan has consistently maintained the prelinguistic nature of the act of understanding, he nonetheless acknowledges the power of language to advance understanding. "So it is that conscious intentionality develops in and is molded by its mother tongue.
Academic text (2010) -
During the prelinguistic stage, infants communicate through gestures and expressions rather than words.
-
Understanding prelinguistic behavior in children is essential for developing effective communication strategies.
Synonyms
1
7.3
Actions or sounds babies use before they can speak
1
9.1
Happening before a person learns to speak
How Linguistic
Surface Forms
Morphology
prelinguistic = linguistic (semi-transparent) = pre + lingu + istic
Given knowledge of 'linguistic', the prefix 'pre-' straightforwardly yields the meaning 'before the linguistic stage or use of language'.
Etymology
Prelinguistic starts with pre- meaning 'before' and the second part is related to language, from the old word lingua meaning 'tongue'. So, prelinguistic literally means 'before language', which is why we use it for baby sounds and gestures that come before speech.