Beyond Words Ep. 28 | Learning the Invisible: How Children Learn Emotion Words with Nikhita Prabhu, MA

In this episode of Beyond Words, host Garrett Oyama, MS, CCC-SLP, and UCLA developmental psychology researcher Nikhita Prabhu, MA, examine how children learn emotion words and other abstract concepts. How does a child learn what “jealous” means? Unlike a word like “dog,” there isn’t one thing a caregiver can simply point to. Learning emotion words requires children to connect language with facial expressions, behaviors, situations, bodily experiences, causes, and other information that may not be directly observable.

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Mentioned in this episode:

Beyond Words SLP Salon

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In this Beyond Words solo episode, I try and break down Michael Tomasello’s usage-based account of language development and the idea that grammar may be less like a rulebook and more like a collection of cultural tools that children learn through interacting with other people.

Tomasello’s answer brings together intention reading, pattern finding, linguistic constructions, joint attention, and joint agency. We look at why constructions themselves carry meaning, how children discover roles within utterances, and how the roles and perspectives involved in human cooperation may provide part of the cognitive foundation for grammar.

This video builds on my recent Beyond Words conversation with Michael Tomasello: https://youtu.be/H0En9S8NmSk?si=dNnZ3nD3ZjDFVJzM

📚 References

Tomasello, M. (2003). Constructing a Language: A Usage-Based Theory of Language Acquisition. Harvard University Press.

Tomasello, M. (2024). Agency and Cognitive Development. Oxford University Press.

Tomasello, M., & Barton, M. E. (1994). Learning words in nonostensive contexts. Developmental Psychology, 30(5), 639–650.

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In the first episode of the sub-series Beyond Words: In Practice, Garrett talks with speech-language pathologist, speech scientist, and AI developer Matthew Guggemos about what AI should—and shouldn’t—do in speech-language pathology.

They explore AI-supported assessment and documentation, privacy and ethics, the importance of keeping clinicians in the loop, and the risks of outsourcing too much of our thinking to technology. Matthew also shares how tools like EASI are being designed to reduce paperwork and administrative burden while preserving human clinical judgment.

Links:

Get ASHA CEUs: https://www.speechtherapypd.com/courses/ai-in-speech-pathology

Previous conversation with Matthew on music-based speech interventions: https://www.speechtherapypd.com/courses/rhythms-of-speech-unveiling-the-melodic-bridge-between-music

Check out EASI (Matthew's AI speech evaluation system): https://easi-as.com/

Check out Inner Voice: https://www.innervoiceapp.com/

Contact Matthew here: https://www.drumlanguage.com/