Examines a study in which 15 freshmen and 15 seniors at Princeton University used 60 trait adjectives, 20 of which were student slang, to describe people they knew. Confirms that multidimensional scaling (MDS) reflects changes in semantic structure as a function of group membership. (MB)

Criticism of much of the previous research into the syntax of children's language. (RD)

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…

The effects of phonetic context and linguistic complexity level on /s/ misarticulations were examined in nine normal children (mean age 6.8 years) who misarticulated the /s/ phoneme interdentally in all positions of words. (Author/SEW)

The ways that children and adults use their limited cognitive processes in comprehending the complex input of a second language are discussed, and an information-processing approach to second-language learning is proposed and supported in a number of areas of second language research. Implications for research and teaching are examined. (MSE)

Reviews and synthesizes speech act analysis (Austin and Searles), politeness phenomena (Brown and Levinson), rules affecting speaking (Hymes), and activity analysis (Wittgenstein). Advances the notion that the theories are complementary rather than contradictory. (EKN)

A study indicates that many elementary-age disabled readers pass through the same developmental stages in acquiring complex syntactic knowledge as do average and above-average readers. (CJ)

Examines whether significantly high correlations exist among language skills in second year students as measured by their final exams. Results support previous research suggesting the existence of shared language aspects across skills. However, each language skill appears to retain enough unique variance that the score in one skill cannot…

Examines strategies a reader of a foreign language uses to identify unknown words in context and if there is a hierarchy of application. Includes recommendations concerning foreign language acquisition skills which will allow the foreign language student to possess vocabulary independently. (EKN)

Indicates that the way different languages reduce speech to script affects how visual information is processed in the brain, suggesting that the relation between script and speech underlying all types of writing systems plays an important part in reading behavior. Compares memory performance of native English/Chinese speakers. (JN)