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In:Acquisition of Korean: The state of the art
Edited by Soonja Choi
[Trends in Language Acquisition Research 36] 2026
► pp. 187–226

Chapter 6
Early spatial language acquisition in Korean-learning children

Spatial cognition, language input, and early vocabulary

 | Seoul National University
 | Seoul National University
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
This chapter reviews recent research on early spatial cognition, parental language input, and spatial vocabulary acquisition in Korean-learning children. It examines how categorization and analogical transfer of spatial relations develop from infancy through the preschool years. Infants can form abstract representations of spatial relations, showing an advantage for containment over support. Categorization of support is limited and influenced by object variability, while attention to moving objects appears to facilitate category formation. Simultaneously, infants are exposed to parental spatial language that reflects Korean-specific features such as locative case markers, diverse spatial verbs, and transparent shape names. Caregiver input varies with the play materials used and the presence of spatial goals. During the preschool years, Korean children show increasing success in transferring spatial relations, with improved transfer of support with abstract shapes. Cross-linguistic comparisons highlight both similarities and differences in early spatial vocabulary for Korean- and English-learning children. The chapter concludes with directions for future research and their practical implications.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Characteristics of Korean spatial language
  • 3.Infants’ spatial cognition and Korean caregiver spatial language input
    • 3.1Infants’ categorization of spatial relations
      • 3.1.1Role of exemplar variability (object variability)
      • 3.1.2Role of attentional focus on moving objects
    • 3.2Caregivers’ spatial language for infants
      • 3.2.1Frequency of spatial language use
      • 3.2.2Number of spatial word types
      • 3.2.3Parental location and direction terms
  • 4.Spatial cognition, language input, and vocabulary in Korean preschoolers
    • 4.1Analogical transfer of spatial relations in Korean preschoolers
    • 4.2Spatial language input to preschool Korean children
    • 4.3Preschool Korean children’s comprehension and production of spatial language
      • 4.3.1Comprehension and production of locative terms
      • 4.3.2Comprehension and production of shape names
  • 5.Conclusion and future directions
  • Author queries
  • Notes
  • References
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