Recent attempts to classify the meanings of two-word utterances expressed by young children have assumed that children always intend one of the meanings adults might express. This paper challenges that assumption and suggests an alternative approach to determining the meaning of these utterances. (Author/RM)

Four children, aged 3.9 to 5.5, were recorded talking to different listeners (adult, peer, baby and baby doll) and role-playing a "baby just learning how to talk." As a measure of the children's responsiveness to situational cues, each sample was analyzed for formal and functional characteristics. (Author/RM)

Two studies were conducted, one to judge the relative ages of pairs of vocalizations from Chinese and American infants of varying ages, the other to judge the linguistic community of the vocalizer when age was held constant. Judgments were highly accurate in the first study, but not in the second. (Author/RM)

The study of speech errors, or "slips of the tongue," is a time-honored methodology which serves as a window to the representation and processing of language and has proven to be the most reliable source of data for building theories of speech production planning. However, until "Kids' Slips," there has never been a corpus of such errors from…

In families with two working parents, fathers make important contributions to children's early language skills. Results from a new study by FPG Child Development Institute show that children whose fathers' vocabulary was more varied when they were two, had greater language skills at age three. Mother's vocabulary was not found to have a…

This book presents a comprehensive plan for vocabulary instruction from kindergarten through high school--a plan broad enough for students with small or exceptional vocabularies, and every child in between. Written by one of the top experts in the field, this book offers a research-based program with plenty of classroom examples and strategies…

Noting that all parents want the best school experience for their children, this booklet gives parents some ideas about what to expect at different ages and stages of reading development, suggestions for what parents can do at home, and a list of favorite books parents can find in most libraries for parents and children to read. Sections of the…

The software "Breakthrough to Literacy" was introduced in kindergarten classrooms in a suburban school district in 1999 and focuses on oral language development. Through observations, the author studied the effects the software had on individual children's oral language and pre-reading readiness skills. Along with reading skill development, oral…

Noting that joint storybook reading by children and adults provides a context for interactions that promote language development and literacy, this exploratory study examined whether parent-child reading of storybooks online might elicit the same sorts of interaction that have been observed for joint reading of traditional books. Participating in…

Arguing that evolution designed us to both teach and learn, this book explains how, and how much, babies and young children know and learn, and how much parents naturally teach them. The chapters are: (1) "Ancient Questions and a Young Science," including the concept of brain as computer, and the developmental science of Piaget and…

This book stems from the idea that literacy learning is the single most significant challenge facing this country and confronting people all over the globe. Chapter 1, "The Meaning of Literacy," explores various interpretations of the word "literacy" as a necessary basis for analyzing and evaluating literary programs. Chapter…

Research suggests that oral language development is directly related to literacy, and is crucial for success in learning to be literate. This topical bibliography and commentary discusses language acquisition theories, components of language, phonology in literacy, and a first-grade classroom study that explored "literate talk" in the classroom…

Young children have a natural interest and excitement about language and literacy. This book is designed to help teachers and caretakers nurture young children's literacy development in day care, preschools, kindergartens, and primary grade classrooms. The book's approach to young children's literacy development includes how to design and manage…

Two main instructional approaches have been used to educate English learners in California--English language development (ELD) together with academic instruction in the primary language (bilingual education), and ELD with or without Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE). Since the passage of Proposition 227 in June 1998,…

Stresses the importance of creative dramatics in the language arts program, emphasizing the contribution drama makes to learning in the reading and literature programs, oral language development, non-verbal communication, listening skills, and creative writing. (RB)