Reported is a study on hypothesis formation related to the possible relationship between skills involved in acquiring language and those in an activity-based science program. The data were analyzed by both a science educator and a linguist for possible correlation between the cognitive ability to formulate good hypotheses and the ability to…

Compared were the maternal linguistic environments of 21 normal (20-32 months old) and 21 Down's syndrome children (3-12 years old) matched for level of language development as assessed by mean length of utterance (MLU). Verbal interaction in two free play home situations was tape recorded. Twenty measures of maternal speech (including sentence…

Participants in a seminar series in second language acquisition held at Harvard University discussed three papers by Dulay and Burt ("Goofing: An Indicator of Children's Second Language Learning Strategies,""Should We Teach Children Syntax?", "Natural Sequences in Child Second Language Acquisition"), and developed…

This article discusses language planning in Israel, and specifically the activities of the Academy of the Hebrew Language. Its development from the original Hebrew Language Council is traced, as well as its membership which is made up of leading Hebrew scholars and writers. The aims of the Academy were basically three: (1) to assemble and carry…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of varying the semantic content of active and passive sentences along a dimension of "personalness" on the comprehension of those sentences by preschool age children. The study focuses on a current linguistic controversy dealing with the relative adequacy of syntax-based and…

In the first part of the paper the idea of the cognitive network is developed. The network consists of concepts linked together by relationships which are themselves concepts. Concepts are learned according to simple rules, and the network grows as new concepts are learned. Part II considers the growth and structure of language. The growth of…

The two primary purposes of this book are to extend information about children's language learning and to look at existing notions of how children acquire language by considering what is meant by linguistic competence. The introductory chapter presents an account of two approaches to the study of language acquisition and outlines the author's…

The purpose of this study was to investigate, with underprivileged first-grade children, the efficacy of the Initial Teaching Alphabet (i.t.a.) in teaching beginning reading and of the Peabody Language Development Kit (PLDK) in stimulating oral language and verbal intelligence. From 17 classes in nine schools, four groups, consisting of 100, 104,…

Presented is support for the existence of "Deaf English," a non-standard dialect common to the prelingually deaf; and reported is an investigation of the written English competence of deaf adolescents. In the first half of the document the author discusses the historical background of deaf education and the linguistic and cognitive abilities of…

The technique to be described here was developed to meet the need for a language production measure. It samples a variety of morphemic and syntactic patterns, and avoids the problems of imitation and of free speech analysis. The production test is administered in a sentence-completion format. A very brief incomplete story is told by the examiner…

Successful reading practices and programs for culturally disadvantaged children are discussed by five authorities in the field. The first section, written by Gertrude Whipple, defines the kinds of pupils considered to be culturally disadvantaged, tells why they need a special program, and outlines the type of program needed. Three sections deal…

In this collection, games and activities are included for each of the following areas of prereading skills: language development, articulation improvement, auditory discrimination, visual discrimination, and visual motor skills. A discussion of each activity and directions for its implementation are included as well. (LL)

One of the programs included in "Effective Reading Programs...," this program serves over 3,100 first, second, and third grade, predominantly disadvantaged children. Approximately 2,000 junior high school students also participate in the program as cross-age tutors. Begun in 1972, the program focuses on reading and language development.…

One of the programs included in "Effective Reading Programs...," this program is designed to help primary level children achieve success in language development before a pattern of failure is established. The program began in 1969 and serves 219 first, second, and third graders. The program employs diagnostic measures to identify each…

This program, included in "Effective Reading Programs...," serves approximately 800 four-year-old children enrolled at 26 public schools. The program was begun in 1965, and in 1971 major revisions were made in it. Children attend prekindergarten classes for two and one half hours a day, five days a week. Specific written objectives for…