This study examined the effects of maternal directive and nondirective styles of interaction on the emergence of verbal communicative intent in toddlers, and sought to understand the association between maternal interaction styles and young children's pragmatic acquisition. During free play, maternal utterances of 12 mother-child dyads, with…

In addressing questions of semantics and grammar in child language, this study focuses on the generation of speech activity. Specific attention is on the formation and development of speech units during speech generation. The study looks at the process by which preschool children master various linguistic items and categories using semantics,…

An experiment examined whether children of different developmental stages expressed different levels of fear while viewing episodes of the television program, "The Incredible Hulk." Preoperational (3 to 5 years old) and concrete operational (9 to 11 years old) children were shown short videotaped segments taken from the program. Using…

These 25 papers address issues of second language assessment and curriculum planning. The papers are divided into three categories: theoretical foundations, assessment approaches, and research and policy. Among the specific topics discussed are: whether tests measure language or intelligence, additive versus subtractive bilingualism, the…

This report describes a study on the development of children's conceptualizations of written language, that is, their graphic sense. The study investigated three issues: (1) whether acquisition of literacy is a developmental process common to all normal children, (2) whether the levels of graphic sense tend to be associated with particular…

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,…

Maternal language directed to 21 nonhandicapped, 21 Down syndrome, and 19 language impaired preschool children was examined. The three groups (all Caucasian and middle-class) were matched in mean length of utterance (MLU) and in developmental skills as measured on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale. Mother-child language interaction was…

Helping children gain an early sense of success in literacy is vital to their growth since it creates a foundation for future success. Because of learning difficulties demonstrated in early development, which may be triggered in part by changing modern lifestyles, teachers need to be sensitive to the issue of preventing learning problems from…

A study investigated the effects of symbolic play treated as a mediator for increasing language comprehension and facilitating oral language growth. The study included two aspects of language: language comprehension and language development. Independent variables were forms of play--puppet action, body action, abstract (imagined) action, and no…

The recognition of linguistic stereotypes based on gender and actual speech production were examined in 10 four-year-old and 10 six-year-old children. Eight linguistic forms were presented to the children in two different contexts in a story. After each sentence containing one of the forms, the children were asked whether a boy or girl had spoken,…

Intended for teachers in Tasmania, this booklet focuses on guidelines for developing a language program for young children. Chapters are entitled: How Language Competence Grows; Language, Thought and Feelings Are Independent; The Child's Language Development Depends on Our Responses; and Growth of Understanding. The philosophy presented in the…

A pilot study explored what children between the ages of 8 and 11 focus on when they write about writing: how children define writing, what features they believe constitute the act and product of writing, and what kinds of writing children consider important and why. During a half-hour period, 36 students in grades 3 through 5 were asked to write…

A study investigated how children's writing reflects the syntactic complexity, style, and format of their basal readers. Subjects were 116 students drawn from 10 second, third, and fourth grade classrooms in two different schools located near Boston, Massachusetts. A matched group design was used, and students using a form of the "Ginn"…

The background, rationale, elements, and organization of the newly-formed Child Language Data Exchange System (CHILDES) database containing child language data-transcripts are outlined in this first issue of their newsletter. The system was formed in response to a need for greater efficiency in data sharing, greater precision in data collection…

What parents view as being important for their children to learn and how they believe their children are able to learn are reflected not only in the learning opportunities provided in the home but also in the teaching strategies parents use with their children in every day parent/child interactions. An investigation of the language transactions…