The fundamental idea of "Oral English" Books I and II is "appeal to the ear." In many books on oral English, both the eye and the ear are appealed to at the same time. In this book the first appeal is to the ear alone. Contents include 24 fifth-grade lessons; 23 sixth-grade lessons; 30 seventh-grade lessons; and 40 eighth-grade…

Provides a synthesis of findings about lexical and syntactico-semantic differences between spoken and written language. Outlines and critically examines the major theoretical and methodological approaches used in comparative studies of spoken and written language and reexamines the question of how speech and writing relate to prototypical forms of…

Examines psychologist David R. Olson's current work on children's language development and its possible educational implications. Stresses the increasing tendency to investigate children's language development in relation to their thinking and learning rather than in isolation and to include literacy development in the oral language development…

Explores the English language spelling system and the differences between written and spoken language. Points out that, although young children have a complex understanding of language, four-to-six-year-olds do not have the linguistic competence of adults. Explains how teachers can help in areas of difficulty. (JM)

Presents study conducted in France to determine which errors typically made by French-speaking Americans (errors in pronunciation, vocabulary, or grammar) are most objectionable to the French ear. Concludes grammatical errors were rated least tolerable. (Author/BK)

Appraises the academic reception of McLuhan's ideas. Suggests how his insights can be applied within a systematic research tradition. (The author uses his own research on the bias of speech and writing as an example.) (PD)

Describes the use of 10 word picture books to enrich the language experience of young children and to motivate their reading. (HOD)

Tests the hypothesis that mothers would label objects with adult-basic level terms when talking to other adults, but would label the same objects with child-basic terms when speaking to their young children who were just starting to talk, even though these labels may be very much "incorrect" by adult standards. (Author/RH)

Describes the Queensland project, "Study Talk," concerned with the study of oral language, with special consideration given to the exploration and study of the uses and varieties of talk. (HOD)

Describing what children at the preoperational stage know about writing, spelling, and words, the authors make specific recommendations for ways language arts teachers can build instruction that is based on this knowledge. (SK)

Investigates the relationships between the occurrence of mazes (garbles, word tangles, or false starts), sentence complexity, and the use of connectives in 20 fifth-grade students. (HOD)

Examines the relationship between syntactic maturity of oral language and reading achievement of first-grade students and compares this aspect of language competency to several traditional factors of reading readiness. (FL)

Analyzes errors that characterize French utterances produced by native speakers of English to determine the degree to which various categories of errors interfere with oral communcation. Error analysis is based on the spontaneous reactions of French speakers to correct and incorrect versions of the same utterances. Pedagogical implications are…

Three measures--logical reasoning ability, lexical comprehension, and home teaching activities--provided the best overall model in accounting for differences in children's performances across the print awareness measures. (HOD)

Describes a program of activities for increasing children's skill with oral language, including creative storytelling, questioning, and role exchange. (HTH)