Discussed is how strange words frequently reveal their meanings through contextual use, similarity to known vocabulary, by their sounds, or by analysis of their parts. Twelve words from the discipline of biology are analyzed using analysis of their parts. (KR)

Knowledge of what constitutes development toward language maturity in school-age children should enable us to make substantial improvements in the language component of the curriculum. (Author)

SEVERAL BASES FOR STRENGTHENING THE LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM IN PRIMARY GRADES WERE CONSIDERED. FROM RECENT STUDIES THAT HAVE RECORDED AND ANALYZED ACTUAL SPEECH SAMPLES OF PRESCHOOL AND SCHOOL CHILDREN, THREE ASSUMPTIONS CONCERNING CHILDREN'S LANGUAGE WERE MADE. FIRST, BY THE AGE OF THREE, MOST CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED THE BASIC STRUCTURE OF THE…

Discusses the value of rhymes in developing children's concepts of story and pleasure in reading. (HOD)

A 20-minute videotape sample was obtained of the language interactions between 20 Down syndrome children (ages 38 to 107 months) and their mothers during informal playtime. Linguistic utterances of mothers and children were coded according to the following language categories: query, declarative, imperative, performative, feedback, imitation,…

The study of literature in the secondary schools should not be based merely on affective and aesthetic grounds, but on cognitive and linguistic grounds as well. The facilitation of linguistic and cognitive growth can occur only in an environment that allows adolescents to experience literature on their own terms. The carefully structured,…

In addition to the communicative end served by language learning, there is another objective: the discovery, by the student, of the system and the workings of his native language. The values of this objective include: (1) formative value: the possibility of achieving a better understanding of the fundamental and uniquely human phenomenon which is…

Because of the vast differences between the ghetto child and the middle class child in home environment, parental models, language development, and the ability and desire to communicate, an elementary school language program which will educate both must differ radically from traditional orientations and practices. Such a program should provide the…

Examined the role of exposure to speech in children's vocabulary growth. Characterized vocabulary growth rates for children from 14 to 26 months of age. Found a relation between individual differences in vocabulary acquisition and variations in the amount of a mother's speech to her children. (BC)

This paper discusses kinds and characteristics of language play, explores the relationship of such play to wider domains of language and play, and speculates on the possible contributions of language play for language mastery and cognitive development. Jump rope chants and ritual insults ("Off my case, potato face") and other expressive…

THE AUTHOR CHARACTERIZES THIS BULLETIN AS A MESSAGE ON LANGUAGE. THE MESSAGE IS FACILITATED BY (1) A FLUID AND IMAGINATIVE USE OF TYPESETTING, (2) A NARRATIVE-FORM STORY, AND (3) A STORY-PLOT THAT INVOLVES SEVERAL LANGUAGE PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS. ALTHOUGH THE STORY COMPRISES THE ENTIRE BULLETIN, THE PURPOSE OF THE BULLETIN IS NOT JUST TO TELL A…

A LANGUAGE-EXPERIENCE PROGRAM INCLUDING SPELLING, LISTENING, READING, WRITING, AND SPEAKING IS DISCUSSED. THE TEACHER HELPS EACH CHILD BECOME INCREASINGLY SENSITIVE TO HIS ENVIRONMENT AND SUCCEED THROUGH A VARIETY OF LANGUAGE EXPERIENCES. TWENTY LANGUAGE EXPERIENCES ARE GROUPED INTO THREE CATEGORIES TO AID THE TEACHER IN SELECTING APPROPRIATE…

This Cooperative Language Development Project had two objectives: (1) to provide a modified language program for culturally disadvantaged first graders and (2) to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in terms of academic, intellectual, and linguistic growth. In a 2-year intervention program experimental versions of the Peabody Language…