Sunday Morning Exercise: Take “The Wug Test”
by Nancy Rosenbaum, producer
Jean Berko Gleason is the mother of the “wug test” whose findings rocked the world of linguistics when they were first published in 1958. The test demonstrated that children as young as three or four can internalize complex grammatical codes no one has necessarily ever tried to teach them — like forming plurals — and apply these rules broadly, even to made-up words (like the adorable “wug” featured below) they’ve never heard before.
Below you’ll find the 27 delightful hand-drawn pictures that comprise the original wug test. Try them out with the kids in your life — or even by yourself. And tell us what they said that surprised you. What are they modeling or constructing on their own?
The Wug and Wug Test © Jean Berko Gleason 2006. All rights reserved. For individual and family use only. Commercial use prohibited.
The Wug and Wug Test © Jean Berko Gleason 2006. All rights reserved. For individual and family use only. Commercial use prohibited.
The Wug and Wug Test © Jean Berko Gleason 2006. All rights reserved. For individual and family use only. Commercial use prohibited.
The Wug and Wug Test © Jean Berko Gleason 2006. All rights reserved. For individual and family use only. Commercial use prohibited.
The Wug and Wug Test © Jean Berko Gleason 2006. All rights reserved. For individual and family use only. Commercial use prohibited.
The Wug and Wug Test © Jean Berko Gleason 2006. All rights reserved. For individual and family use only. Commercial use prohibited.
The Wug and Wug Test © Jean Berko Gleason 2006. All rights reserved. For individual and family use only. Commercial use prohibited.
The Wug and Wug Test © Jean Berko Gleason 2006. All rights reserved. For individual and family use only. Commercial use prohibited.
The Wug and Wug Test © Jean Berko Gleason 2006. All rights reserved. For individual and family use only. Commercial use prohibited.
The Wug and Wug Test © Jean Berko Gleason 2006. All rights reserved. For individual and family use only. Commercial use prohibited.
54 Notes/ Hide
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vickyybrook likes this
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dowhatbunnysdo reblogged this from beingblog
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i-made-it-rain reblogged this from beingblog and added:
THIS IS REALLY DISTRESSING I DON’T UNDERSTAND ARE THEY LIKE SHEEP ARE THEY WUGS OR WUG OR WIG OR OHHHHHHHH GOD
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quillsandquolls reblogged this from laughwhileitlasts
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quillsandquolls likes this
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heritor likes this
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misohead reblogged this from thambos
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thambos reblogged this from beingblog and added:
THIS IS THE MOST COMPLETE SET OF IMAGES OF THE WUG TEST I HAVE EVER SEEN!! :D I was super impressed
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tornbread reblogged this from beingblog and added:
Definitely want to try this on my brother.
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i-heart-home-ec reblogged this from beingblog and added:
an amazing combination
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beingblog posted this
