In this study the author uses the techniques of modern descriptive linguistics to analyze various features of the Portuguese verb system. The analysis is based on the colloquial, spontaneous speech of educated natives of Rio de Janeiro and is divided into four chapters: Phonology (pp. 6-29), Morphophonemics (pp. 30-49), Morphology (pp. 50-86), and…

Scientific Russian vocabulary, as represented by substantives among the lead entries of a 1955 polytechnic Russian dictionary, is analyzed compositionally and by source language. (GK)

The influence of two aspects of language structure, syntax and associativity, on the free recall of verbal messages was investigated. (Syntax refers to the rules for ordering words within sentences; associativity refers to the network of meaningful relationships which exist among words in a language.) Twenty-four children from each of grades…

Linguistic interference as a key factor in the acquisition of reading skills by inner-city black children is explored. Examples of syntactic and phonetic structures in the black dialect which are different from standard English and the role these differences play in beginning reading are given. The use of dialect-based texts allows the child to…

The ability to use sequential constraints in recognizing letters in three-letter words flashed on a screen at low contrast thresholds and the relationship of this ability to grade level and reading achievement were investigated. Eighty subjects were randomly selected, 20 each from grades 1 through 4. Ten adults were also tested for comparison with…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether clozentropy would reveal the amount and rate of language change in a specific social group. Students in four basic interpersonal communication classes at the University of Wyoming were selected at the beginning of the semester to serve as subjects for this study. Two major conclusions were reached…

Reported here is the work of two linguists, William Labov and Paul Cohen, and of two black researchers who know the culture of the inner city, Clarence Robins and John Lewis. Together they explore certain aspects of Black English vernacular (BEV) and certain political and cultural aspects of the black community. Part 1 (chapters 1-4) deals with…

Aside from phonological and syntactical structures, text is organized by its dramatis personae, plot, figures, point of view, and theme. These are, respectively, the entities mentioned, the spatial-temporal and causal linkages of events, comparisons and contrasts, propositional attitudes, and correspondence to some pattern. These modes of…

Active and passive sentences were presented with probable and improbable semantic content to 100 first graders and 100 kindergartners. "Irreversible" sentences were considered improbable. In a design employing syntax, probability, grade, and sex as factors, probability and syntax were found significant both as main effects and in their…

In a previous Semantic Differential study, Ayrer and Farber (1972) reported the results of a factor analysis which utilized a matrix sampling approach. Some problems were encountered (negative eigen-values). The current study did not involve matrix sampling, but the same basic results were obtained. This suggests matrix sampling may be an…

To ascertain if there are significant differences in the frequency of use of movables and connectors in the oral speech patterns of mature and immature children from middle and low socioeconomic levels, 60 beginning first grade children were studied. The Warner-Meeker-Eells Index of Status Characteristics classified children into middle and low…

The present practice of surnaming, by which the wife takes on the name of her husband and the children take on the name of the father, favors one of the sexes over the other. In this paper, the egalitarian surnaming system (ESS) is proposed. This system deals equally with the sexes and also serves important social functions, such as providing a…

To determine student readiness in any academic subject, teachers must determine individual levels of cognitive competencies children possess.

This article discusses the problems encountered in translating Chicano literary works into English. (Text is in Spanish.) (CLK)

The creative, purposeful departures from standard English used by advertisers are a worthwhile object of study in English classes. (JH)