Reviews research on contributions of the child's environment to the development of syntax and semantics. Current theoretical proposals for internal and external constraints are discussed, and the implications of the research for the theoretical descriptions of the child's contribution to development are considered. (RH)

Twelve primary grade children who inconsistently misarticulated "r" participated in training programs for specific allophones of "r." Training steps included production of syllables, nouns, noun phrases, and simple sentences. Generalizing to untrained allophones occurred for all children. (Author)

Discusses the role of intonation in language development in relation to the use a child makes of the concept of a story. Concludes that children express much meaning through intonation, that this system may be more developed than lexical or syntactic systems, and that complex literary competencies can be developed early in life. (JOW)

Two aspects of elicited imitation procedures, the relationship between imitation and spontaneous performance and the effect of nonlinguistic context, were examined using seven normal preschoolers. Elicited imitation performance did not accurately predict spontaneous speech performance, and the addition of nonlinguistic context cues did not…

Findings of a study involving 49 elementary and 32 secondary deaf students supported the hypothesis that adding sign language pictures above English words would significantly increase Ss' reading comprehension. Cloze sign format (every fifth sign deleted) also improved comprehension. Results supported a language difference model. (CL)

Discusses the role of language in drama in education. Examines the levels at which drama can enhance learning and understanding of language: social, symbolic, and reflective. (HTH)

Explores a number of innovative professional development strategies for teachers. Examines the development and role of a teacher support group in Canada and its efforts to develop a language-process oriented classroom. (HTH)

Materials written by T. H. Gallaudet on the subject of sign language and communication are reviewed that indicate that some of his ideas regarding the use of sign language in teaching deaf students may have been partially misunderstood. (Author/SW)

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)

Investigates potential causes of decrements in children's understanding of the words "big" and "tall" by comparing results of studies of English-speaking children and results of a study of Arabic-speaking children. (Author/RH)

The uniform principle assuming that comprehension precedes production in language acquisition was examined using Down's Syndrome children taught to comprehend singular/plural nouns and produce such forms for another noun. Three subjects reached criterion production first and one reached comprehension first, suggesting the modes can develop…

Calls for anthropologists to pay more attention to the process by which individuals learn about or "acquire" culture. Suggests study of first language acquisition offers a useful model for studying ways people learn cultural and social behaviors. (Author/GC)

Video therapy tapes that incorporated self-modeling, structured rehearsal, projective rehearsal, and systematic social reinforcement were effective in shaping a 15-year-old schizophrenic girl's appropriate grammatical and contextual use of language. (CL)