Two strategies that children use to figure out new word meanings--attention to linguistic form class and the assumption of lexical contrast--were examined. It was found that very young children use both form class and lexical contrast to interpret new words. (PCB)

The article reviews the development of action words in the language of young children, provides a rationale and basis for the choice of action forms to include in an early vocabulary, and suggests strategies for facilitating action-word development in language impaired and normal children. (DB)

Claims students' use of the cliche is unavoidable and relative to culture, place, and time, and that the cliche can, and often does, communicate efficiently. Suggests six techniques such as extending, inverting, punning, and combining, that combined with some imagination, can turn cliches into small teasures. (NH)

Long-term retention of new vocabulary meanings acquired through keyword or semantic-context methods was assessed in two experiments. College students learned 30 English vocabulary-meaning pairs. They were tested on cued-recall performance one week later. Although the keyword method facilitated initial learning of the vocabulary meanings, it did…

The efficacy of a keyword mnemonic strategy to teach word meanings was evaluated with 64, 12-year-old learning disabled poor readers. Subjects were instructed via either keyword-image, picture context, sentence-experience context, or control. Results indicated that the students in the keyword condition significantly outperformed other students…

Differentiates vocabulary learning from concept learning. Provides two activities designed to help students invent new concept labels or rename existing labels after examining the substance and meaning of the underlying concepts. (JDH)

Five teachers used exploratory talk as a tool for learning as they developed policy concerning the use of writing across the curriculum. Transcripts were analyzed for development of scientific concepts (learning) through increased use of specialized vocabulary (language growth). (Author/MT)

Describes the use of soap opera in a language laboratory. Each soap opera episode incorporates a vocabulary list from the course text. The list is supplemented by translation exercises and by a discussion of the particular grammatical principles involved, and the episode is followed by a listening comprehension test. (SED)

Includes descriptions of a fact-finding exercise using classmates' wallets; a crossword puzzle to heighten language awareness; and a description of a program which teaches students to analyze current events and issues in light of history. (HTH)

Mildly retarded students (11-13 years old) who participated in an intraclass peer tutoring program had significantly higher gain scores (pretest-posttest) on both vocabulary and reading subtests than did 62 controls. (CL)

Defines criteria to identify children's language overextensions and investigates how young children in the early stages of language acquisition rename objects analogically during a standardized play situation. Results indicate that analogic extensions are well within the capabilities of children from one year, eight months to two years, four…

The verbs in Gougenheim's Basic Dictionary are regrouped according to three classifications (synonyms, antonyms, and association) and organized according to semantic fields. Exercises designed to emphasize these relationships are suggested. (MSE)

Discusses two questions any language-teaching approach has to consider: (1) the component of a language on which to focus; and (2) how the linguistic material can be acquired more efficiently than in the past. Five principles for efficient acquisition of 5,000 vocabulary words are outlined, and the RALEX approach is explained. (SED)

Describes a content-oriented instructional method that relies on the vocabulary resources of a group of learners to help them understand the impact of words in various contexts. (FL)

Describes two approaches for uses with computer-assisted vocabulary learning (CAL): (1) uncontextualized CAL, requiring one-word answers and (2) contextualized forms of practice in which a text has to be unscrambled or rebuilt. Discusses some of the advantages of CAL and also some of the problems of using it effectively and integrating it into the…