A study of the awareness of verb transitivity in the spontaneous speech of two two-year-old native speakers of Quiche was accomplished by examining three factors: transitive terminations given to verbs, subject markers on the verbs, and syntax. The first was studied by counting the number of transitive verbs used with both transitive and…

The paper reviews research on the development of communication in visually and mentally handicapped persons. Communication difficulties are traced from the preverbal stage, through imitation and turn-taking, visual co-orientation and objects, and the effects of visual loss on early development. The added impact on a mentally handicapped person of…

The notion that children over age 5 have acquired a conjunction once they have used it appropriately once or a specified number of times is challenged with data from a study of the narrative discourse of school age children. In the study, 26 adults and 71 children aged 4 to 11 were asked to tell a story about three sets of story pictures. Analysis…

Learnability theory involves the construction of formal mathematical proofs whose goal is to demonstrate how the child can successfully induce a mature grammar. An empirically adequate learnability proof constitutes a detailed hypothesis concerning the boundary conditions within which acquisition proceeds and can provide a general framework for…

A study of the development of children's production of two kinds of narratives, script and episodic, had as subjects 60 children aged 3, 5, and 7, with 20 children in each age group. In the experiment, 10 children in each group were asked to produce script narratives ("What happens when you do X?") for 3 events and the other 10 were asked to…

The paper examines a developmental approach to language acquisition in young disabled children. Issues of form, content, and function are explored, with function of communication seen as central for disabled children. The role of teachers and parents in requiring more sophisiticated language is considered. Questions of competence on either the…

The paper reviews research from 1970 to the present in the study of cognitive processing and language in deaf students and adults. Studies address the following topics: differential specialization (direct observation of clinical populations and indirect methods examining handedness, dichotic listening, and visual hemifield differences); cerebral…

A quasi-longitudinal descriptive approach was used to examine mother-infant communication in three groups of three children each: (1) sensory intact infants, (2) visually impaired infants, and (3) hearing impaired infants. Procedures involved initial and final home visits and six monthly play sessions which were videotaped for approximately 20…

A study suggesting semantic rather than syntactic early language acquisition by children. (CH)

Presents 6 sample lessons with resource materials useful at the elementary and secondary levels. (RB)

Present 8 sample lessons for use by English teachers attempting to improve the language skills of their students. (RB)

Argues the need for the development of oral language skills as a basis for reading and writing at the elementary school level. (RB)

Reading success will be encouraged if children are given ample opportunity to verbally respond to first-hand experiences. (JH)

Philologist, archaeologist, and historian, Dr. Gordon has unlocked mysteries of ancient Mediterranean civilizations through the study of pre-Biblical and Biblical language and culture. In this article he examined the development, limits and advantages of our modern alphabet. (Editor/RK)