A study was conducted to determine the relationship between maternal input to early language learners and language acquisition and to answer the following questions: (1) Does nursery language used with the child change after he begins to talk? (2) Is there reason to believe that the child's speech is influenced by or influences the mother's…

Foreign language students often find themselves unable to produce appropriate responses in certain social situations. A contributing factor is that until recently, linguists and foreign language educators have concentrated on the student's acquisition of language (phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexicon), and have not concerned themselves with…

In this discussion of various aspects of sexism in language the following principles or basic ideas are set forth for the reader's consideration: (1) the irrational and undesirable idea that male terms stand for the whole population is harmful and the practice should be eliminated; (2) language which suggests that women are, by virtue of their…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether clozentropy would reveal the amount and rate of language change in a specific social group. Students in four basic interpersonal communication classes at the University of Wyoming were selected at the beginning of the semester to serve as subjects for this study. Two major conclusions were reached…

The American concern for prescriptive correctness in linguistic behavior, which derives from eighteenth centry British notions, met with considerable and significant challenge by the contrary descriptive notion in the first half of the nineteenth century. The energy of this challenge waned by mid-century and the prescriptive drive for linguistic…

The selections included in this bibliography represent the major areas in which the institute has conducted research and include major institute papers plus papers by many individuals who have been affiliated with the institute since its founding in 1947. The citations are listed under the following headings: "Attitude and Behavior Change,…

Working on the premise that the homogeneous grouping of students based on student performance, testing, and recommendations can enable students to develop to their fullest potential, this English curriculum guide for grades seven through twelve is arranged to cover high and/or average achieving students and low achieving students. The guide is…

This 2-week unit uses visuals of a recent space walk as the basis for an introductory study of the nature of language. The aims of the unit are (1) to show pupils how language operates, (2) to stimulate awareness of the importance of basic language skills, (3) to develop an increased desire in using language effectively, and (4) to acquaint…

Ninety preschool disadvantaged children participated in a study investigating the effect of instruction using the Language Master machine, a device which uses selected word cards to teach basic language skills (e.g., completing verbal analogies, expressing ideas orally, relating perceptually similar pictures, and increasing hearing vocabulary.)…

This article shows how to make poetry relevant to high school students. The technique involved is one in which the student is shown just those meanings which he can spontaneously relate to his emotions and interests. This synthesis can be made by using the lyrics of popular songs. The student can see the images, mood and dramatic situation of the…

The chief insistence of the educational reform that Peter Ramus initiated in the sixteenth century in England was that the liberal arts should exist as separate and distinct disciplines, divided from one another. He split the old rhetorical laws to avoid duplication between dialectic and rhetoric and thus influenced the style of preaching found in…

A look at some English and American dictionaries and encyclopedias affirms the charge of "Manglish"--a male orientation of the English language. Sex stereotypes are manifested in occupational titles, certain cultural notions, and societal attitudes which are reflected in our language. School texts and dictionaries perpetuate this sexism and…

Progress made in the DARE Project, begun in 1965 with the purpose of producing a "Dictionary of American Regional English," is described. Phase 1, the collection of necessary materials, has been completed. Ten Spoken Sources of this material and 12 Written Sources are listed and annotated. It is estimated that the grand total of items in…

This study presents an analysis of the speech of twenty-five informants, who were born in eastern Kentucky or southern West Virginia. Six of them were interviewed in Kentucky, where they still live; the others now live in Chicago, in an area known as Uptown. The phonological data is described in terms similar to the Chomsky-Halle feature analysis…

The value of poetry is discussed. The term "poetry" is used to refer not only to verse but to imaginative literature in general. It is conceded that poetry deals with a value-structured world and that judgment of it is subjective. It is also pointed out that students, even high school students, can be taught some objective standards for evaluating…