Describes how the author uses three properties of vocabulary instruction that increase comprehension: integration, repetition, and meaningful use. Notes that these three properties can be a natural part of the teaching and learning that occur each day in the classroom. (SG)

Describes a game using synonyms designed to build students' vocabulary by developing concepts for new words and by repeating exposure to the new words. (RS)

Discusses vocabulary development in content area reading and the use of a vocabulary matrix of related concepts and a t-bar chart of words related to new vocabulary. (MG)

The evolution of young children's categories, as measured by category name production, was studied. Results indicated that four sequences of category evolution were found, formed by the intersection of two factors: overlap vs. mutual exclusivity and first re-assignment separate vs. first re-assignment joint. (26 references) (Author/CB)

Examination of three- to six-year-olds' (N=60) distinctions between the mental terms know, think, and sure showed a significant age-related improvement for the know-think and sure-think contrasts. No change was shown for the know-sure contrast, suggesting that, by four or five years of age, children recognize the function of mental terms to…

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 definition of the suffix "-ard" as giving a negative or pejorative meaning to a word is disputed, and it is proposed that the suffix is simply a particular, socially marked form of expression. (MSE)

Three experiments explored young children's metalinguistic awareness. Results showed that children between the ages of 4.5 and 6.5 demonstrate vigorous development of word segmentation skills, using increasingly complex strategies--first phrasal, then syllabic, and finally a full word strategy, and a growing knowledge of function and content…

Presents examples of a method that teaches vocabulary as a prereading activity using selected quotes so that students can use word parts and context clues such as transitions, connotation, and parallel syntactic structure. (RS)

Finds significant incidental learning of word meanings in 447 American and Chinese children in third and fifth grades. Notes that, in each country, incidental word learning appeared on both easy and difficult test questions and among children of all levels of ability. Suggests that incidental acquisition of word meanings while reading is a…

Describes an alternative, holistic vocabulary strategy for students with limited English proficiency that draws high-frequency words from a variety of literary publications, then recycles that vocabulary in reading, writing, listening, and speaking activities. (SR)

Study of 3 and 7 year olds and adults examined role that changes in continuity, direction, instrument, and causative agent play in children's and adults' initial assumptions about meaning of novel motion verbs and events. Subjects made similar initial assumptions, but children generalized more conservatively than adults to all change types in…

Twenty-five preschool children with specific language impairment and 25 controls were evaluated on generalization of trained bound morphemes to untrained vocabulary stems, in 2 training conditions: explicit, trainer verbalization of the affixation "rule" and an "implicit rule" condition. Findings indicated that explicit presentation of…

Evaluation of the validity of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory: Words and Sentences with 44 children with Down syndrome and 48 typically developing children established the validity of this parental measure of vocabulary development for children with Down syndrome and confirmed its validity for typically developing children.…

Acquisition of the novel name-nameless category (N3C) principle by 22 toddlers with Down syndrome was studied. Results indicated that the ability to fast map a new word to a category is not available at the start of lexical acquisition. Children who used the N3C principle had larger productive vocabularies than others and had begun to acquire new…