A study of the acquisition of interrogative forms in children of high socioeconomic status reveals that utterances belong more to the colloquial than to the standard range. It is concluded that disadvantaged children would show similar usage, leading to the suggestion that teachers teach language as they use it. (Text is in French.) (CDSH/CLK)

Criticizes traditional methods of defining the syntactical complexity of utterances and proposes distinguishing the various types of subordination in the sentence as well as elements of continuity and discontinuity in discourse structure, with particular reference to child language. (Text is in French.) (CDSH/AM)

Two transitional phases in the child's early language development are described; the first occurs between prelinguistic vocalization and one-word speech and the second between one-word and patterned speech. Cognitive, linguistic and affective inputs to the acquisition of reference and syntax are discussed in the light of the transitional…

Investigates the development of past tense expressions in the speech of children from 1.6 to 2.6. It is shown that this development depends crucially on the child's cognitive construction of the time dimension, as described by Piaget. (Author/RM)

Interpersonal functions of everyday caretaker speech usage are examined when addressed to toddlers, threes and fours. Results support hypotheses derived from Piagetian theory concerning early developments in ego-differentiation. (Author/RM)

Art and literacy experiences can be integrated into the classroom to great effect, and in this book, the author demonstrates that. Interpreting and creating pictorial representations is an important step on the road to literacy, as is experimenting with combinations of symbols and text. When teachers value and support children's symbolic…

This book examines children's acquisition of a first language, the stages they go through, and how they use language as they learn. There are 16 chapters in 4 parts. After chapter 1, "Acquiring Languages: Issues and Questions," Part 1, "Getting Started," offers (2) "In Conversation with Children," (3) "Starting…

Noting that children's talk makes some of their thinking visible and thereby provides a ready tool for early childhood teachers, this chapter focuses on the process of language acquisition. The chapter provides a historical context for language in early childhood education, discussing the nature of language and its acquisition, the development of…

Discusses the current debate over bi-dialectalism, proposing that we use dialects as a means of teaching language to everyone. (RB)

The assertion that Neurological Organization treatment procedures are potentially harmful is not supported by the data in this study, although negative results of such treatment on the child's linguistic and social behavior and on the functioning of the family unit has been frequently conjectured. (Author/RB)

This study, in which adult Navaho interviewers recorded conversations with Navaho children, involved the analysis of Navaho lexicon and spelling. Computer processing made it possible to base the study on the vocabulary of these young Navaho. (Author/RK)

Special issue devoted to research and the teaching of French in the elementary school. (VM)