The papers in this collection represent a wide spectrum of approaches, philosophies, viewpoints, and techniques of scholarly endeavor in their treatment of the reading process. The 55 papers, which were presented at the 1978 meeting of the National Reading Conference, are arranged according to the following categories: (1) reading readiness, (2)…

This is an investigation of the notion of language for special purposes and a discussion of the topic from the point of view of reading comprehension and its pedagogical implications. The meanings, connotations, and inadequacies of the terms "langue de specialite" and "Language for special purposes" are discussed. A distinction is made between…

The Children's Attitudes Toward the Elderly (CATE) is designed to assess the attitudes of children, ages 3 to 11, towards the elderly through analysis of the affective, behavioral, and knowledge components of attitudes. To achieve a balanced sample of test items for each domain, four measurement techniques are used: open-ended questions; semantic…

In any successful conversation, a speaker must select both what is said and how it is said on the basis of various estimates of the listener's abilities, knowledge and interests. Most research on linguistic input to children has focused on the tendency of speakers to simplify their speech for the younger listener. Little attention has been paid to…

The purpose of this 11th-grade unit on language is to acquaint students with persuasion because it is one of the basic functions of discourse and a principal method of achieving change in a complex and democratic society. In this unit, students are provided with opportunities for recognizing, evaluating, and using persuasive discourse. The unit…

Intended for people with little or no training in linguistics, this book initially deals with such basic concepts as the definition of linguistics, the nature of language, and the linguistic variations within a society. The discussion then moves to a more detailed, non-historical analysis of language structure, focusing on lexical items,…

The hypothesized ability of adult native speakers to understand linguistic ambiguity was tested. An approach developed to determine linguistic competence tested the ability of 90 participants in individual interviews to interpret sentences having the potential for multiple interpretations. The hypothesis was not supported by the data. A hierarchy…

The curricular question of educational purposes is generally answered by Language Arts Specialists in terms of the traditional language skills. Two ideas to better answer this question are proposed: Professor William E. Bull's model of the communication process and his adaptation of the mathematical Theory of Sets to language study. Bull's model…

Thirty informants were presented with sets of clauses punctuated as in the pattern "S1. If S2. S3" and asked which clause, S1 or S3, the "if" clause modified. Independently, several linguists judged the sentences "S1, if S2" and "S2, if S3" acceptable. Missing intonational clues or improper punctuation,…

Described are areas of speech and language which the speech pathologist must evaluate in the preschool screening process. Phonemic development, morphological development, syntax, and semantic development are discussed in terms of normal developmental stages and methods of evaluation. (LS)

In the fall of 1971, the Lynchburg, Virginia public schools began the implementation of a plan to eliminate all traces of racial segregation in the school system. All pupils in the ninth and tenth grades in the city were enrolled in one of the two high schools, and those in the eleventh and twelfth were enrolled in the other. Pupils were assigned…

Seventeen reprinted essays and an unpublished one are contained in this collection and organized under five headings: History of Ideas, Approaches to Medieval Literature, Chaucer and Fourteenth-Century English Literature, Language and Linguistics, and Essay-Reviews. Topics discussed include the origin of the concept of the Seven Cardinal Sins;…

A comprehensive account of the origin and development of the basic contributions to the field of language instruction is thematically developed in this text. Major sections treat: (1) methodology, including the teaching of meaning, grammar, and pronunciation; (2) linguistic habit formation concerning speech, reading, and writing; (3) curriculum…

The two teaching units in this document present listening and speaking as dynamic skills and emphasize learning through discovery and induction. "Listening to Understand" encourages the student to participate primarily as a member of a group rather than as an individual. Classroom exercises are listed for teaching students efficient listening, the…

Three game approaches to the teaching of poetry, designed to make the student actively involved with poems are described as "teaching tools." The semantico-dictionary or word-cross game involves programing techniques, logic, and lexicography in poetic analysis. The punched-out poem game involves filling in the blanks of a poem in which all the…