Sentences were constructed in which the terms "before" and "after" were embedded in logically constrained and logically reversible sequences. The preschool children in the study found the constrained sentences easier to comprehend. (Author/CFM)

Discusses the possible contribution of linguistics to the legal field, and cautions about the limitations of this contribution. (AM)

Examines the feasibility of using a time-series design intensively in a school situation. Investigates student attitudes toward a biology class using the operant single-subject design. Despite the developmental nature of this study, it demonstrates that the five-item semantic differential is a valid and easily used instrument. (Author/MA)

Examines the theoretical framework of psychologist Lev Vygotsky with regard to communication tools, cognition, and socio-cultural effects on these tools. Reports the results of several studies of students' word meanings of division by adapting Luria's instruments for alternative assessments. Discusses the implications of socio-cultural diversity,…

Examines the relationship between anxiety and native-language skill and foreign-language aptitude measures among high school foreign-language learners using the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS). Findings suggest that skill in one's native language may affect aptitude for learning a foreign language and that the FLCAS may provide an…

Reports on research consisting of compiling a contrastive verb valency dictionary of Dutch, French, and English whose main strength lies in depicting semantic differences between its entries and conceptual differences between languages. Using these analyses, one can start to discern nuclear and peripheral meanings, analyze possible meaning…

Compares the English modals "could,""might,""should,""ought to" and others with German "konnte,""durfte,""sollte,""mubte," referring to the diachronic perspective and using Reichenbach's (1947) grid of times and worlds. The article suggests that the variety of use of…

Compares the information content in descriptions made by sixth grade students based on messages of text and picture, written and verbal, or written language alone. The semantic framework analyzes the importance of words and ideas in text and relationships between them. Found the written language to be more open to interpretation than verbal and…

This study explored the semantic content of spontaneous speech of 10 children (ages 4-5) during pretend play. More references to family were made during home play and to peers and self during preschool play. Use of daily routines and fantasy/cartoon characters as common play themes was analyzed. Discusses intervention programs for children with…

Reviews visualization techniques for scientific disciplines and information retrieval and classification. Highlights include historical background of scientometrics, bibliometrics, and citation analysis; map generation; process flow of visualizing knowledge domains; measures and similarity calculations; vector space model; factor analysis;…

Argues that no single approach is satisfactory for teaching all grammatical rules in English-as-a-Second-Language instruction, and that rules must first be distinguished on the basis of certain linguistic criteria before pedagogical strategies can be considered. (17 references) (Author/CK)

A study of 141 children (ages 4-5) with language impairments and a study of 120 children (ages 7-12) with oral language and/or reading problems, indicate a relationship between the processing of phonological and semantactic linguistic information and performance on oral language and reading tests three years later. (Author/CR)

The compositions of 49 students (ages 10-14) with deafness or hearing impairments and 49 typical students were compared to investigate the frequency and proportional distribution of written-language variables. Differences were found between the strategies chosen by the students with deafness or hearing impairments in both syntax and semantics and…

A study examined how 44 bilingual (Spanish-English) children (ages 4-7) used taxonomic versus slot-filler strategies in a category-generation task presented in both languages. Younger bilingual children generated approximately equal numbers of items in both conditions, however, older bilingual children were beginning to demonstrate a taxonomic…

Input language addressed to language-learning children was analyzed to assess the quality of the semantic-syntactic correspondence posited by the semantic bootstrapping hypothesis. This correspondence was strong--objects were labeled with nouns, actions with verbs, attributes with adjectives--and may serve to make children's construction of…