Describes the development of the concept of language in an Italian/English bilingual child from age 2.0 to 2.5 years. (CFM)

In order to test the hypothesis that the ability to form verbal concepts would increase with age, a test for verbal concept formation was developed and administered to 668 children between the ages of 4 and 9. By varying sentences that describe nonsense figures, 4 variables were systematically explored. (MS)

Reviews learning systems that incorporate values-clarification strategies reinforced by language experience techniques as a way of teaching children with reading difficulties. (SB)

Looks back on the emphasis in language development in the periods 1900 to 1917, 1917-1935, and the 1950s. Examines current developments in teaching English and suggests directions for the future. (RK)

On a scale of "moja" to "kumi", African math studies rate "kumi" with kids. (Editor)

This paper describes the apparatus and methods of recording used in a study of language acquisition. Recording equipment, study time and length and procedures are discussed. (CHK)

A longitudinal study examining the role of imitation on children's lexical acquisition is discussed here. Findings did not support the view that imitation may enable new lexical items to be acquired, and it is noted that other functions of imitation in language acquisition should be explored. (CHK)

This paper reports data for voice onset time (VOT) for /d/ and /t/, from six children at average age 3;0. Values for /d/ clearly achieve the short voicing lag category of adults, reported previously. Values for /t/, however, are much more varied, although falling within the category long voicing lag. (CHK)

Data are presented that reflect a particular strategy used by a boy from age 1;10 to 2;2 to manage certain polysyllabic words. Analysis shows that substitution was not involved, and an interpretation is made in terms of "underlying forms." Details of the strategy and its component sub-strategies are presented. (CHK)

Two groups of preschool children received a ten-week language facilitation program, with one group experiencing parent participation in classes and with language development material at home. Children whose parents were involved made significantly higher gains on the English Picture Vocabulary Test and the Sentence Comprehension Test. (Author/AV)

Examined effects among kindergartners of friend/nonfriend groupings on early literacy. Predicted that friend, compared to nonfriend, conditions elicit more conflicts/resolutions, emotional terms, and literate language; that friendship condition is particularly supportive for girls' exhibition of literate language and emotion terms; and that…

Finds that most discussions about beginning reading quickly become discussions on the best way to teach decoding skills. Advocates personalized reading instruction as an approach that offers the most promise of meeting the reading needs of children. Outlines six tenets for the teacher to follow for the most fruitful beginning reading instruction.…

This paper reviews the literature on grammatical knowledge in language comprehension in the preschool years from the perspective of sensitivity to structural contrasts. Studies of both direct and indirect evidence of sensitivity to structural contrasts were evaluated and showed that there may be a developmental sequence of increasing sensitivity…

The MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory (a parent-report measure of vocabulary and syntax) was administered to 103 children (mean age 103 months) who participated in a study of temporal resolution as infants. Children who had performed above the median on the temporal resolution task demonstrated better later language development than…

Case studies are presented for two early talkers, one of whom represents a striking dissociation between vocabulary size and mean length of utterance. Each child is compared to controls in the same language stage, and the data are examined to determine whether the dissociation is best characterized as one between grammar and semantics, or a…