Word frequencies in toddlers' lexicons

Word frequencies in toddlers' lexicons were examined in two studies using t he language Development Survey (LDS), a vocabulary checklist completed by p arents (Rescorla, 1989). In Study 1, a high degree of consistency in LDS wo rd frequencies was found when six samples of 24-month-olds were compared (t otal N = 758) Word frequency correlations in the .90s were Found between la rge, unselected samples of toddlers of roughly similar socioeconomic status (SES). Correlations were somewhat lower but still highly significant when groups varying widely in SES were compared, in Study 2, LDS word frequencie s in a sample of 40 late talkers traced from age 2 to 3 were compared to th ose in a large community sample from Study 1. Both lexicon size and age of the late talker influenced the degree of consistency found with respect to the community sample. The most common words reported in the lexicons of a s ample of 422 24-month-olds were consistent with those identified in diary s tudies as among the highest frequency words used by young children in their early vocabularies.