Progress in an extensive, linguistically oriented program of research on child language development is reported. The ultimate purpose of the research is to contribute to a general theory of human language behavior; more immediate goals are the increased understanding of language development processes and improved characterizations of particular…

ORAL LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT OF TWO GROUPS OF DISADVANTAGED FIRST-GRADE CHILDREN WAS COMPARED. ONE GROUP OF 52 SUBJECTS PARTICIPATED IN A PROJECT HEAD START SUMMER PROGRAM, AND THE OTHER GROUP OF 52 SUBJECTS DID NOT. TO DETERMINE IF CHILDREN OF LIMITED OPPORTUNITY, PARTICIPATING IN PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO BROADEN EXPERIENCES, EXHIBIT SUPERIOR LANGUAGE…

A survey of the literature concerning the mental processes used in reading reveals a proliferation of molecular theories which explain only a small (and frequently neurological) component of the reading act. Enough information exists, however, to sketch an integrated, molar model of the reading process, which stresses the interrelationships…

Spontaneous full passives and related constructions from 234 children aged 2;0 to 13;11 and elicited passives from 262 college students were analyzed. Full passives were classified as reversible (The dog was chased by the girl), instrumental non-reversible (The lamp was broken by [or with] the ball), or agentive non-reversible (The lamp was broken…

This booklet provides a set of learning objectives and a continuum of skills, to facilitate development of a diagnostic/prescriptive program in oral-language development. Listening skills for response to sounds, rhymes and poems, directions, and stories are defined. Also included are an individual student profile, a class profile, additional…

This study was designed to examine how the form class and position of a word in a sentence influence the ability of primary-grade students to use available context to correctly guess an unknown word. Forty-three second-grade-level readers were asked to read orally four cloze passages that had been constructed from first-grade-level, basal reading…

In this study, two rival accounts of the mental operations used to solve Piaget's three-mountain perspective task are tested. One hypothesis is that if children use some form of mental rotation through anticipatory imagery, scores should improve as the angle of separation between the child and the other viewer is decreased. A second hypothesis is…

The problems that the composition teacher finds in student writing and the philosophical hazards involved in dealing with the concepts "language" and "writing" are considered first. Active and static models of writing are examined in terms of their philosophical and pedagogical implications. Static conceptualizations of language and writing are…

Recording, narrative, exposition, and argument were hypothesized to present writing tasks of increasing cognitive and verbal complexity. This was investigated by obtaining writing samples in each mode from a stratified sample of 128 Australian sixteen year olds. The cognitive-complexity hypothesis was supported by data concerning the relative…

This paper describes and illustrates an approach to reading which combines the language experience approach (LEA) and imaginative play. The LEA and the components of the lesson are briefly reviewed. Imaginative play and its descriptive components are identified and explained. The procedure for combining the two elements is roughly as follows: The…

The manual contains suggested activities to develop the language skills assessed by the Florida Language Profile, a screening instrument to help identify young learning disabled children. Three to ten activities are listed for each of the following categories: body parts; right and left; rote counting, naming and identifying numbers, and counting…

This article discusses the relationship between human gestures and the development of Chinese characters. The four main principles of Chinese writing are outlined, and the characters are discussed in terms of whole bodily attitudes, spatial relationships, and foot and manual gestures. (CLK)

An experiment was conducted to determine the conditions under which selective imitation of relative clauses could be produced in preschool. Imitation training was more effective than modeling alone, and instructions and reinforcements were effective in an additive manner. Implications for the role of imitation in language development are…

Examines relationship between literacy and intellectual development and the belief that literacy leads to higher forms of thought. Describes research findings among the Vai of Liberia, a people who invented a syllabic writing system to represent their own language. Investigates effects of becoming literate separately from effects of attending…

Discussed is how the studies of mathematics and language can illuminate each other in areas such as symbols, sentences, substitution, and patterns. (MP)