Two Japanese universities are undertaking a research program in child language by studying children's verbal and nonverbal development, sponsoring lectures on child language and holding an annual symposium on related subjects. (CK)

To investigate cross-sectionally and longitudinally the development of children's early verbal behavior, 10 normal first-born Japanese infants from middle-class families were observed monthly and examined from when they were 6 to 24 months of age. Audio- and video-taped language data were obtained in a laboratory playroom setting during 15-minute…