Observation sentences and joint attention

The aim of this paper is to examine W. V. Quine's theory of infants' early acquisition of language, with a narrow focus on Quine's theory of observati on sentences. Intersubjectivity and sensory experiences, the two features t hat characterise the notion, receive the most attention. It is argued, foll owing a suggestion from Donald Davidson, that Quine favours a proximal theo ry of language acquisition, i.e., a theory which is focused on private expe riences as ultimate sources of stimulation, contrary to a distal theory, wh ere the stimulus source is located in externally observable objects and eve nts. I use the philosophical criticism of Donald Davidson, Dagfinn Follesda l and Charles Taylor to suggest an alternative account of language acquisit ion, which emphasises the primacy of participation and joint attention to e xternal stimuli. I argue that such an alternative theory is more consistent with recent studies in child development and language acquisition.