First Language Acquisition

Scenario
Alicia is taking books out of the bookcase and creating a huge pile on the bed.

M: Alicia, what are you doing?
A: I'm taking the books.
M: Why are you taking all the books out of the bookcase?
A: Because I'm taking all the books.
M: And what do you hope to achieve in that endeavor?
A: I want to read the books to Dada.

Alicia flips pages, one to five at a time, from back to front of a large book.

Analysis
Alicia is in the stage where 2-year-olds answer 'why' questions by repeating the meat of the question. She was unable to provide a genuine answer to this question. When asked a question which she could not possibly have understood, she gave an appropriate answer. It is proved that she had an answer to 'Why are you taking all the books out of the bookcase?' Perhaps she believes that repeating a portion of a 'why' question is the appropriate answer. Perhaps it's a learned structure. I think all 2-year-olds do this. I always assumed it was because they didn't have an answer.

Conclusion
Alicia Grace Fuller knows more than she lets on.

Further Study
Further study is needed to determine whether 2-year-olds really do have answers to 'why' questions which they typically are failing to provide upon being asked. As this is a qualitative study, further research is needed to determine whether results are generalizable to a larger population of 2-year-olds.

Fuller, M. (2008). The bedroom studies. Unpublished.