Evidence supporting two roles of imitation in language acquisition was found in a single child's speech studied at ages 2.8 and 3.0. Imitation can serve to limit the language environment's complexity, and forms may appear in imitations before appearing in spontaneous speech. Use of "what?" is given as an example. (MSE)

Discusses using the distribution practice technique in teaching vocabulary. Emphasizes the importance of keeping the material meaningful to facilitate learning. Stresses the usefulness of teachers keeping themselves informed on new developments in the area of learning theory. (EKN)

Explains several techniques for improving students' vocabulary through increasing their interest in and sensitivity to language. (JL)

Presents an innovative approach to teaching vocabulary to high school students. (FL)

College students learned English vocabulary words using a keyword or no-strategy control technique. The keyword technique did not enhance recall of the actual vocabulary word when the definition was given unless the vocabulary word per se was integrated in memory before presentation of vocabulary word-definition pairings. (Author/RD)

Young children were found to overextend and underextend newly uttered but previously understood words. The data are discussed in terms of differences between children's and adult's word meanings and between comprehension and production. (Author)

A reading skills course at Catonsville Community College (MD) helps deaf students increase functional vocabulary and improve basic English skills such as morphology, syntax, and sentence construction. (Author/CL)

Reports that the substitution of a cloze instructional center for various reading centers improved students' reading comprehension and divergent production. (AEA)

Offers a vocabulary testing technique that requires the student to match the description of a situation or the expression of an idea with a word to which the situation or idea alludes. (FL)

Discounts the idea that mass media are to blame for literacy problems among students, and explains how television merely reflects and reinforces the current state of literacy as it is produced, tested, and normed by the schools. Urges the use of expanded vocabulary in television script writing. (JP)

Suggests creative ways to interest students in the "magic" of words through word game activities. (DF)

Describes the use of a minicomputer in various phases of creating the thesaurus for the National Information Center for Special Education Materials (NICSEM) database. (FM)

Found no correlations between types of play behavior and speech measures, that identification of objects upon verbal request was not related to any type of play behavior, and that comprehension of verbal requests for functional or representational play was positively correlated with the display of such play. Journal availability: J. B. Lippincott…

Presents four brief suggestions regarding methods for teaching poetry writing, descriptive writing, and vocabulary. (TJ)

Only regular word-building patterns are considered. Patterns are chosen for their communicative value, degree of difficulty, and applicability. Examples of word-building exercises are given, taken from actual texts. Work in word formation is recommended even for the beginners' level. (IFS/WGA)