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Puns, Metaphors, and Misunderstandings in a Two-Year Old's Conception of Death

There is currently growing interest in children's conception of death [1, 2]. The present paper reports, analyzes, and interprets successive stages in the evolution of one two-year old boy's conception of death through a series of puns, metaphors, and misunderstandings about the nature of language, and of its relationship to the world to which it refers. In this sense, this case history is as interesting for what it reveals about children's language and thinking in general, as it is for what it reveals about this one child's concept of “death” in particular. A logical analysis of the syllogistic reasoning implicit in the evolution of this conceptualization of death is presented, and the relationship of puns, metaphors, and other figures of speech to the child's understanding of language, and of reality implicit in this conceptualization is discussed in some detail.