What ‘diversity’ means depends on your perspective: A commentary on Kidd and Garcia (2022)

Abstract

Having recognized the need for diversity spotlighted by Kidd and Garcia – but given that sampling all the world’s languages is infeasible – we focus on which dimensions of variability researchers should prioritize. We consider three major approaches to the study of child language learning, namely, language as a (1) cognitive puzzle, (2) clinical/educational object, and (3) window onto socialization. We discuss how what is important about ‘diversity’ from each of these perspectives dictates the sociolinguistic communities from which researchers should sample.