筆者國科會計畫【兒童區分運用漢同義結構的認知過程研究】(NSC83-0301-H-029-012)曾以東大附小五六年級學生(320人)為主要研究對象，探討兒童對義聯想類聚的認知特性。本文即以此次測試成果為基本語料，進一步了解妔童類聚聯想的在知上的循序漸進的特色及其所呈現的語義延伸軌跡。周1994的語料顯示，同一刺激詞的自由聯想帶出的一群表達式(以字或詞為單位)具「家族相似性」，一方面有某種程度上的同質性，另一方面仍具成員等級差異：如部分-整體、中心-邊緣、具象(實體存在或具身體經驗)-抽象(經過概念化)等。從認知角度看，我們的語料顯示了兒童受試者對詞彙語義的基植認知特性，也同時揭示了詞彙語義的常態延伸軌跡：如由具象域映射至抽象域的隱喻延伸、部分及其整體、中心與邊緣等關係之間的轉喻性延伸，等等。兒童(本案為五、六年級學童)字詞聯想的運作範圍無法以約定俗成的慣例(如同義詞範疇的定義)來設定其疆界，也無法以簡單二分的「對」「錯」來加以評價。我們對詞彙語義的延伸與轉換及其軌跡與方向之既定知有重新考量的空間。

This paper aims at discussing Chou 1994 (NSC83-0301-H-029-012) data, collected through the investigation on 320 children subjects. The subjects were asked to write down the words or expressions which came to mind for each of the stimulus we show on board. Chou 1994’s data give us the picture, that the free association of the same stimulus could bring out a group of expressions with family resemblance, which is in some respect homogeneous, but with membership grandniece: part-whole、center-periphery、concrete(those physically exist or those with bodily experience) –abstract (those being conceptualized) etc.. From cognitive point of view, our data show children’s perception on the lexical meaning of the stimulus, as well as their cognitive processes of the lexical extension, through the metaphorical mapping from a concrete source domain to an abstract target domain, the metonymically manipulating with the part for the whole, center to periphery, or vice versa. The potential of children’s operation in world, association cannot simply be the conventional definition of synonyms, and the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ comments neither. This paper opens a window to reconsider our knowledge on the extension and transformation of lexical meaning.