Considers the importance of vocabulary to writers (the author is one), to teachers (the author was one), and teenagers. Reminds us that literacy and abundant vocabulary are important for practical as well as aesthetic reasons: survival regularly depends upon communicating with strangers. Suggests ways in which teachers can improve their students'…

Discusses the distinction between formal and contextual guessing of vocabulary in second-language learning. It is argued that formal guessing is more helpful and reliable than contextual guessing. (Author/VWL)

This study evaluated the extent to which measures of lexical diversity (type-token ratio and number of different words produced) differentiated 25 children (mean age 59 months) with specific language impairment (SLI) from typical children. Analysis of utterance samples revealed that SLI children did not differ on type-token ratio but did use…

Eighteen-month-old children performed sorting tasks and their parents completed checklists of words used by the children. Children who performed exhaustive grouping, or grouping of objects of different kinds in different locations, were reported as using more words than children who did not perform exhaustive grouping. (BC)

Describes "l'autodictionnaire," a computer program created to help language learners enrich their vocabulary through the use of an electronic, modifiable dictionary. (SR)

Three studies examined two-year olds' understanding of novel terms for objects that they are already familiar with under another name. The studies found that the new term was most likely to be treated as a second basic-level name for the category to which the object belonged. (MDM)

Investigates whether many developmental phonological processes in adult's speech may be a result of problems in lexical storage and retrieval. (41 references) (GLR)

Proposes a strategy for introducing new concepts and vocabulary with heterogeneous groupings of students. Students move around the classroom, guessing word meanings and defending their choices, finding connections between words, and giving and receiving peer feedback. Older students are challenged when they must explain their thinking to others.…

Provides advice for technical communicators about using statistical terms. (SR)

Uses an acrostic of the word "vocabulary" to present enjoyable and effective strategies and activities for vocabulary instruction with elementary students. (SR)

The present study compared the performance of 44 Latino children on the Competing Language Processing Task (CLPT; C. Gaulin & T. Campbell, 1994) and the Dual Processing Comprehension Task (DPCT; S. Ellis Weismer, 1996). First, it was of interest to know if there were significant differences between children with and without bilingual proficiency…

In this article, the authors review eight published and widely used curricula for teaching phonemic awareness. They describe characteristics that enhance ease of use and delivery of instruction and review how each of the programs addresses design features of phonemic awareness instruction supported by research evidence. Their findings indicated…

Children may feel a sense of ownership when they learn a new vocabulary word that genuinely excites them--a dynamic word, a poetic word, a word with a delicious sound or interesting meaning. Right away, they like to try out these words, experiment with them, incorporate them into the speaking and writing, and impress others with their mastery.…

Vocabulary is the hallmark of an educated person as it not only promotes reading comprehension but also enables to actively participate in the society. The four practices that teachers can use to expand students' vocabularies and improve their reading are presented.

Anchoring new words in multiple contexts, teachers can make vocabulary meaningful and memorable. The forms of vocabulary instruction is presented so that the misidentification between words and their meanings can be avoided.