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In:First Language Acquisition in Finno-Ugric Languages
Edited by Minna Kirjavainen, Ágnes Lukács and Virve-Anneli Vihman
[Trends in Language Acquisition Research 33] 2025
► pp. 135–155

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Lexical development in Finnish

 | University of Helsinki
Published online: 13 October 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/tilar.33.05sto
Abstract
Lexical acquisition is a complex task taking several years. The process is in many ways language-specific (e.g., in terms of the semantic and grammatical meanings and the phonological representations of the words). Still, there are also general, non-language-specific features (e.g., the child’s ability to use words for referential purposes as symbols). This chapter provides an overview of various aspects of lexical development among children acquiring Finnish from infancy up to the age of roughly five years. After first providing some essential background information on lexical development in general, the acquisition rate and the compositional development of the lexicon among Finnish-speaking children are described. Next, the lexical development in relation to the development of other language domains, as well as lexical skills at pre-school and early school-age are considered. After that the methodological considerations in terms of lexical development in children acquiring Finnish are reviewed. Finally, the effect of the background factors on the lexical development of children acquiring Finnish are considered. Lastly, potential future research aims are proposed.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.General features of lexical development
  • 3.The rate of lexical acquisition in children acquiring Finnish
  • 4.The development of lexical composition in children acquiring Finnish
  • 5.Lexical development vs. phonology, morphology and syntax in children acquiring Finnish
  • 6.Lexical development beyond the first years of life in children acquiring Finnish
  • 7.Methodological issues
  • 8.The effect of background factors on lexical skills in children acquiring Finnish
  • 9.Summary and future directions
  • References
References (66)
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