While I have not read Anne Sullivan's original text nor a biography of Keller, and I cannot say for sure what was happening in her head, here is one plausible theory:
For the longest time, despite learning many words for use in daily life, Keller did not actually grasp the concept of words being names of specific objects; rather, she regarded them as combinations of letters loosely associated with specific situations and sensations. For example, "mug" and "milk" and "drink", as far as she was concerned, were all just arbitrary combinations of signs that her... (read more)
While I have not read Anne Sullivan's original text nor a biography of Keller, and I cannot say for sure what was happening in her head, here is one plausible theory:
For the longest time, despite learning many words for use in daily life, Keller did not actually grasp the concept of words being names of specific objects; rather, she regarded them as combinations of letters loosely associated with specific situations and sensations. For example, "mug" and "milk" and "drink", as far as she was concerned, were all just arbitrary combinations of signs that her... (read more)