Assessment of two-year-olds' (N=22) acquisition of words for referents of previously learned words indicated that young children found it easier to learn a new word when they were able to contrast its referent with that of a word they already knew. (Author/CB)

THE WAYS LANGUAGE IS USED BY CHILDREN IN VARIOUS SUBCULTURE GROUPS WERE INVESTIGATED, AND AN EVALUATION WAS MADE OF WHETHER OR NOT THE LANGUAGE OF ANY GROUP CAN BE CONSIDERED DEFICIENT BY USE OF SOME CRITERIA. THE AUTHOR EVALUATED RESEARCH IN LINGUISTICS, DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY, AND ANTHROPOLOGY DONE WITH CHILDREN OF DIFFERENT SOCIAL…

The purpose of this study was to delineate the implications of language within an educational context as a means of facilitating self-actualization. Three premises identified in a priori fashion were drawn from the literature in linguistics, psychology, and general semantics, creating a three-part language continuum--acquisition, development, and…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the nature and frequency of speech in two classrooms of New York City kindergartners. Specifically, study of the 52 ethnically and socioeconomically varied youngsters attempted to discover whether: (1) more language was used in some activities than in others, (2) more mature speech was used in some…

This booklet contains four articles that discuss factors influencing language growth. The first, "The Child's Equipment for Language Growth" by Charlotte Wells, examines what the child needs for language learning, how the child uses his equipment for language growth, and what school factors facilitate the child's use of his equipment for language…

Examines the effect of teaching signs on the expressive language output of young hearing children. Discusses practical application of this technique for enhancing language development. (EKN)

This monograph describes the development of a language program for four-year-old disadvantaged boys in Northern Ireland. Various sections of the work describe the steps in devising the program; its objectives, organization, evaluations, and subsequent modifications; the problems affecting implementation, and the efforts made to overcome them; the…

The papers in this collection focus on the integration of child language development research into curriculum and instruction, which was the general topic of four conferences held in conjunction with the 1979 and 1980 annual conventions of the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English. Section one, on child…

Examined the role of exposure to speech in children's vocabulary growth. Characterized vocabulary growth rates for children from 14 to 26 months of age. Found a relation between individual differences in vocabulary acquisition and variations in the amount of a mother's speech to her children. (BC)

This study was designed to investigate the effects of the use of language experience and whole language activities in an early literacy kindergarten curriculum. The study attempts to show that participation in a language-enriched environment achieves results similar to those of traditional methods and basal reading programs in regard to the…

During the summer of 1967, a 1-week training program was conducted at the University of Hawaii in which seven teachers and six aides were instructed in the use of the Bereiter-Egnelmann teaching strategy for language programs. The Bereiter-Engelmann approach involves concentration upon the development of language skills and facility with basic…

The many ways in which children use language are examined in this paper, and classroom implications are outlined. The first part of the paper discusses such topics as young children's focus on meaning in language, teachers' tendency to examine language in terms of form rather than meaning, and the importance of the student/teacher interaction…

One of several guides developed by the California Department of Education for caregivers in centers and family child care homes, this guide offers information based on current theory, research, and practice that will support the language development and communication of infants and toddlers and their families. Each of the five sections focuses on…

This paper discusses the effect of the Mexican American's bilingualism on his English language development. It cites recent research reports which state that bilingualism does not have a negative effect upon language development when socio-environmental factors are controlled or considered. Investigations of the syntactic development of Chicano…