In order to present a systematic review of the literature the author
dissects the structures of language and art into three components:
syntax, semantics and pragmatics (or simply: form, content and social
context). Among the topics discussed are: children’s linguistic and
graphic development, language and art making instincts, subject
matter as a reflection of interests and visual narrative and art as
representations of knowledge and emotion. The literature defines both
language and art as communication systems that utilize symbols (verbal
and visual) to express meaning and suggests that young children use
multimodal forms of expression (e.g. talking and drawing or painting
and singing) in order to more fully express their ideas and feelings, as
well as to communicate personal and cultural narratives. The author
raises the issue of the significance of context in the interpretation of
young children’s language and imagery and how children use language
and graphic symbols in social situations.