Examines the relationship between relevant clinical symptoms and the predictability of language utterances in schizophrenia. Specifically, investigates the sensitivity of the Cloze procedure to various modes of language response, attempting to detect differences between language samples written by schizophrenics and controls. Analyzes experimental…

Examines the language and authority of textbooks as they relate to oral discourse, ritualized speech, and literacy as an archival function. Points out that texts serve an important archival function in preserving knowledge from which rules of thought and action may be derived. (JMF)

Suggests that a neutral conversation involving likes, dislikes, etc. requiring simple patterns is more useful for the first meeting of a multinational class of EFL learners than the usual process whereby each student introduces him or herself to the group. (BK)

Presents methods for conducting second language conversation classes for adult learners which develop both fluency and accuracy. Describes two types of functions such as a monologue that each student will deliver and forms for asking for more information. (BK)

Describes experiments involving responses of language disordered children to sentences that can carry directive import. Results indicate that language disordered children are qualitatively like normal children with regard to early response behavior. These children do have more difficulty in generating informing responses and utilizing information…

Reviews studies that have investigated the relationship between reading comprehension and the frequency of occurrence of syntactic structures in children's oral language. Shows that children have difficulty comprehending written materials that contain unfamiliar syntactic structures. Discusses the instructional implications of the findings.…

Discusses the present state of assessing students' oral language proficiency. Includes a comparison of achievement and proficiency test formats, an explanation of the ratings system, and a discussion on the need for a common standard. The adoption of frequency ratings by the academic community is a way off. (PJM)

Includes a summary of measurement in oral communication, the identification of two emerging focuses in measurement, and a description of a measurement strategy. (DD)

In this study, maternal speech was analyzed acoustically to see whether mothers spoke with the same simplitude in both real and play situations. Results showed that mothers use both pitch height and pitch range to introduce the preverbal infant to the difference between play and nonplay situations. (Author/JL)

Presents the gating paradigm as it is used in spoken word recognition research. In this task, a spoken-language stimulus is presented in segments of increasing duration and subjects are asked to propose the word being presented and to give a confidence rating after each segment. The advantages and problems associated with this task are discussed.…

Two eye-tracking experiments examined spoken language processing in Russian-English bilinguals. The proportion of looks to objects whose names were phonologically similar to the name of a target object in either the same language, the other language, or both languages at the same time was compared to the proportion of looks in a control condition…

To succeed at reading, children must be able to identify or "read" printed words and understand the story or text composed of those words. For many children, increasing reading and school success will involve increasing oral language competence in the elementary years. Lack of appropriate vocabulary knowledge can result in academic failure. (SM)

Discusses the issue of the use of signed language dictionaries in the standardization of signed languages with reference to the Australian Sign language (Auslan) dictionaries. Details the structure of the Auslan dictionaries and argues that bilingual, bidirectional dictionaries of this type must be produced if communities are to encourage language…

Discusses design and development issues in creating an interactive Web site for the field of communication disorders. Describes Vocaldevelopment.com, an interactive Web site that provides students, professionals, and parents with audio-recordings of infant vocalizations and information regarding intervention practices for infants and toddlers with…

Compared the oral narrative skills of 31 school-aged children diagnosed at 24 to 31 months with expressive language delay with those of 23 typically-developing peers. Suggests that the use of narrative structure may be a specific area of underachievement for late talkers, in addition to their continuing weakness in syntactic and lexical abilities,…