Normal and Specific Language Impaired (SLI) children were tested for evidence of the binding domain and orientation properties of their grammars. Results suggest that normal children acquiring English pass through a long-distance binding stage, whereas SLI children behave like very young normal children in requiring the nearest available noun…

The value of James Gee's (1994) analysis of first-language acquisition as a guide for theories of learning and pedagogy is that it initiates a serious discussion of learning based upon the most effectively studied developmental mastery--language. This commentary argues that this approach underestimates the roles of diverse symbol systems and…

Examines the communicative competence of young children acquiring English and French simultaneously in the home by observing how they used their languages during separate play sessions with monolingual strangers and their bilingual parents. Findings reveal that all of the children made some accommodations linked to the monolingualism of the…

Investigates comprehension of metaphoric compounds. The study asked children and adults to identify referents of various types of these compounds. Findings reveal that 5-year-olds outperformed 3-year-olds but performed significantly less well than adults and that 3-year-olds did not generally interpret the compounds literally. (37 references)…

Presents background to the descriptions and discussions of child language that are presented in this issue of the journal on the theme of developing pragmatic competence. This background information, referred to as "intuitive knowledge," serves as a framework for understanding children's development of pragmatic linguistic competence and…

Presents the results of an investigation into the acquisition of syllable structure and stress by a preschool Dutch child. Shows how the structure of the child's output approaches the adult models in stages and discusses a phenomenon called "mutation," in which all continuants are consistently replaced with "n-" in onsets. (51…

Addresses phenomena exhibited by young children such as suffixed and free articles, double definiteness, genitives, pronouns, and "nominal style." Shows that analysis of these early data must invoke at least one functional projection above the noun phrase. Findings argue against any claim about the universal absence of functional…

Focuses on the influence of language specific properties in the acquisition of locative expressions. Some of the claims from literature on the acquisition of locative expressions are discussed and data from the acquisition of Warlpiri are presented and discussed in terms of these claims. (Author/CB)

Developmental language disorders in preschool children are described. Levels of linguistic functioning are defined, and clinical language disorders are presented. Implications for the school psychologist are discussed, with an emphasis on assessment of verbal and non-verbal functions. (SLD)

Analysis of data from studies investigating the effectiveness of a parent report form for assessing children's early language development showed that the vocabulary checklist had substantial validity, and that it helped parents to provide a valuable overall evaluation of their children's language at 20 months. (Author/CB)

Examines an 1847 report that reveals that sign communication training with mentally retarded children was used successfully during the last century. These children acquired signs and demonstrated improvement in their personal and social behavior. These findings are similar to those reported in recent research. (34 references) (Author/CK)

A sociolinguistic research project conducted in two adjacent Belgian villages with a Low Frankish-speaking population is reported. Questionnaire surveys measured the impact of the fixation of the linguistic frontier between the two villages on the local population's French/Dutch language behavior and attitudes. (Contains seven references.)…

Describes an ongoing research study investigating the value of using the concept keyboard as a device to assist children in creating functional texts. Suggests that the use of the conceptual keyboard as an alternative input device for word processor use has the potential to help children better structure their writing. (AA)

This study tests the widely cited claim that young simultaneous bilingual children reject cross-language synonyms in their earliest lexicons. First, the accuracy of the claim is examined, and then its adequacy as support for the argument that bilingual children do not have independent lexical systems in each language is considered. (JL)

Examined the effects of mothers' conversations with their children on children's emergent literacy. Found a clear and fairly strong relationship between maternal conversation and children's literacy, especially for children's print concepts, vocabulary, and story comprehension skills. Children's early conversational participation showed a stronger…