Examines the changes that occur from ages 5 to 11 in question/answer sequences of Dutch children. Function, content, form of questions, and listener response are analyzed. (EKN)

Analyzes the language acquisition of a bilingual (Estonian/English) child. Discusses his preference for acquiring whole words as opposed to inflections and offers several possible reasons for this particular learning strategy. (EKN)

Examined the pattern of deletion of final "/t/" and "/d/" in word final consonant clusters in 3- and 4-year-old children (n=16) and their degree of mastery of phonological and grammatical constraints. Results indicate that children as young as three had mastered the phonological constraints on (-t, d) deletion and that the…

Focuses on the acquisition of negation in American Sign Language (ASL) and the developmental relationship between the communicative and grammatical (or linguistic) headshakes for negation in deaf children acquiring ASL. Results indicate that the systems for communication and language are differentially mediated. (35 references) (Author/CK)

Presents four articles in the context of workshop discussions on characteristics of environments that promote language development: (1) "Children's Conversations: Why are They Important?"; (2) "Ways of Talking: Respecting Differences"; (3) Paul's Talk: Teachers and Parents Look at a Child's Language"; and (4) "In the…

Discusses the relationship between universal grammar and second language (L2) acquisition. Explores the phenomenon by testing children of contrasting first languages to see whether null-prep is a general acquisition phenomenon among L2 learners of English, and whether child learners, in contrast to adults, produce null-prep because of first…

Investigates how Turkish children of different ages discuss a conversation they have witnessed during a televised dialog between two Sesame Street characters. Findings reveal that there is a developmental change in children's ability to use appropriate linguistic means to orient their listeners to the different properties of a conversation. (17…

Evaluates the effect of didactic techniques used during storybook reading on young children's acquisition of new vocabulary introduced in storybooks under three reading conditions: single-reading; repeated-reading and questioning. Findings suggest that didactic techniques used by adults have differential effects on preschoolers' receptive and…

A case study of a native-English-speaking child's acquisition of Hebrew through immersion in daycare found that a period of silence was followed by a rapid onset of second-language production. Eight types of language awareness were identified, with conclusions drawn about their role as prerequisites for starting second-language production. (58…

Integrates the phonological research concerns of two language-learning populations: (1) adults acquiring a second language, and (2) children learning to correct functional speech sound errors. The basic theoretical and pedagogical aims overlapped for the two populations, and the results of research on either population had strong potential for…

An annotated bibliography cites 11 publications on a variety of topics in linguistic research produced since 1986. Topics include child language, oral language, a speech synthesizer, French speech, the free expression approach to language learning, French language teaching methods, and French for special purposes. (MSE)

Patterns of teacher language used with at-risk toddlers in three different play contexts (doll/house, block/truck, and large motor) were studied within a naturally occurring classroom setting. Significantly different language-use patterns by teachers were found in each area, and these were associated with differences in the rate and nature of…

Reports on a two-part study of second-grade African American students' uses of various forms of the /-s/ suffix, replicating J. Torrey's 1972 study on the correlation of language and educational achievement. Findings suggest the need to reflect diversity and flexibility in design and implementation of assessment and instruction materials and the…

Polysyllabic words from 2 Dutch children from 1;6 to 2;11 were truncated so that they fitted a trochaic (strong-weak SW) pattern, particularly in early samples. Some observations with respect to the (non)realization of determiners suggest an influence of a SW-constraint on the realization of noun phrases. Findings support the hypothesis that words…

Teaching children to think critically about the media, particularly television, is discussed in terms of research on children's understanding of television; the interrelationships between cognitive, affective, and social factors; and the nature of child discourse and audience response to the media. Development of a more complex theoretical basis…