This study provides experimental evidence for preschool children's competence in basic information structure, with particular attention to the notions of topic and focus. It investigates their mastery of structural and definiteness distinctions to encode the information status of discourse referents, and seeks to distinguish linguistic competence…

Examines the development of epistemic modality, with particular attention to how French children (four, six, and eight year olds) evaluate the conditions of use for modal expressions marking certainty and uncertainty. Results show that four and six year olds attribute certainty more often than eight year olds. (44 references) (GLR)

How a child answers questions provides information about how he or she processes input. A child's early responses to questions at age one year, three months, were compared to her responses at one year, seven months, when she was in the two-word stage. (SW)

Examines recent attempts to explain children's word use and selection through recourse to information theory. It is concluded that information theory cannot account for the complexities involved in early word selection. (AM)