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The goal is to study the effect of siblings on language development as a function of age difference, number of older siblings and sex. For more information, see the PDF document "Preregistration ELFE.pdf".

The purpose of the study reported in this document was to examine the oral language and some of the influences on oral language of students from five to nine years old. Six students in each of 13 classes were selected randomly and were taped in three different situations: a monologue by the student when alone in the room, a dialogue with another student selected by the first student, and a dialogue with the class teacher and two students of the original six. Approach to the data obtained was nonquantitative. Instead, a limited number of tape units were analyzed in depth to uncover the factors affecting language use. In addition, background information on individual students and a comparison of students' performances were analyzed. As a result, it can be suggested that students with a particular background may be subject to a particular language difficulty. This document reports and discusses the variety of findings and contains samples of materials used in the study. (JM)

Two articles highlight different issues on foreign language learning and instruction in Denmark. The first article describes a research project at Roskilde University Center that focuses on group organized and self managed foreign language acquisition. The idea for the project came about as a result of concern over problems related to foreign language instruction, such as student motivation, cuts in funding, and especially the idea that foreign language instruction is too "teacher directed." Five students, between ages 20 and 40 and of various backgrounds, participated in the project. Emphasis was on student management of language learning (e.g., students led classroom discussion while teacher acted as participant). Students read certain materials, recorded their discussion of the materials, and analyzed the recorded discussion for "correctness." Research notes and the texts used for discussion are appended. The second article looks at the status and function of foreign languages in secondary schools. The thesis for the article is the "foreign language crisis," which refers to issues such as a reduction in funding for foreign language education, and the technical and pedagogic difficulties faced by foreign languages in secondary schools. The article discusses where language instruction fits into educational planning, what the central problems are with foreign language instruction, and what resolutions there are to the foreign language crisis in secondary schools. (VWL)

An analysis preregistration examining the relationship between executive function, sentence processing ability, and vocabulary using data collected from the Language 0-5 project.

An analysis preregistration examining the relationship between executive function, sentence processing ability, and vocabulary using data collected from the Language 0-5 project.

An observable feature of learner language, linguistic variability, is described and used as the basis for speculating about an aspect of the process of second language learning. It is hypothesized that variation in correct use of target language forms varies as a function of the demands placed on the learner to produce these forms. Three groups of adult subjects enrolled in community college programs participated in the study. Twenty-six were intermediate English as a second language (ESL) students, 21 were advanced ESL students, and 16 were native speakers of English. Transcripts of planned discussions provided the data of the analysis which examined the use of the Wh-question system and the verb system. The linguistic variability in the data seemed to be systematic. With regard to dimensions of language proficiency, these appeared to be the extent to which the learner's knowledge of the language is analyzed, and the extent to which the knowledge is automatically accessible. The framework generated by these two dimensions describes the learner's knowledge of the language; it serves to separate formal knowledge from the ability to apply known aspects of the language to various purposes. The model derived from the data is that the process of language learning involves the gradual analysis of the structure of language and the development of more fluent retrieval procedures. (AMH)

A research project combining ethnographic and experimental methods is currently underway to assess whether minority groups use language in ways that put their children at a disadvantage in school. The project, which focuses on social, cognitive, and educational consequences of different patterns of language function and use, has involved collecting samples of the naturally occurring speech of 40 preschool children representing an equal number of black and white, lower and middle class children. The research was guided by questions about whether there are differences in the way black and white speakers structure portions of the lexicon and between vocabulary used in the home and in the school, whether phonology plays a greater role than grammar in producing teacher/student misunderstanding, the extent to which children rely on nonverbal as opposed to verbal cues, the extent to which they are likely to adopt a hypothetical stance toward linguistic information, whether children adjust their speech to reflect the contextual needs of a situation, what children's metabehavioral activities are, whether there are situational differences in adults' language in structured situations, and what the proportion of different uses of questions is across different cultural groups. Analysis of the data might focus on lexical analysis, on analysis of mother/child interaction, or on investigation of constraints on conversation. (GT)

A research project combining ethnographic and experimental methods is currently underway to assess whether minority groups use language in ways that put their children at a disadvantage in school. The project, which focuses on social, cognitive, and educational consequences of different patterns of language function and use, has involved collecting samples of the naturally occurring speech of 40 preschool children representing an equal number of black and white, lower and middle class children. The research was guided by questions about whether there are differences in the way black and white speakers structure portions of the lexicon and between vocabulary used in the home and in the school, whether phonology plays a greater role than grammar in producing teacher/student misunderstanding, the extent to which children rely on nonverbal as opposed to verbal cues, the extent to which they are likely to adopt a hypothetical stance toward linguistic information, whether children adjust their speech to reflect the contextual needs of a situation, what children's metabehavioral activities are, whether there are situational differences in adults' language in structured situations, and what the proportion of different uses of questions is across different cultural groups. Analysis of the data might focus on lexical analysis, on analysis of mother/child interaction, or on investigation of constraints on conversation. (GT)

A research project combining ethnographic and experimental methods is currently underway to assess whether minority groups use language in ways that put their children at a disadvantage in school. The project, which focuses on social, cognitive, and educational consequences of different patterns of language function and use, has involved collecting samples of the naturally occurring speech of 40 preschool children representing an equal number of black and white, lower and middle class children. The research was guided by questions about whether there are differences in the way black and white speakers structure portions of the lexicon and between vocabulary used in the home and in the school, whether phonology plays a greater role than grammar in producing teacher/student misunderstanding, the extent to which children rely on nonverbal as opposed to verbal cues, the extent to which they are likely to adopt a hypothetical stance toward linguistic information, whether children adjust their speech to reflect the contextual needs of a situation, what children's metabehavioral activities are, whether there are situational differences in adults' language in structured situations, and what the proportion of different uses of questions is across different cultural groups. Analysis of the data might focus on lexical analysis, on analysis of mother/child interaction, or on investigation of constraints on conversation. (GT)

A research project combining ethnographic and experimental methods is currently underway to assess whether minority groups use language in ways that put their children at a disadvantage in school. The project, which focuses on social, cognitive, and educational consequences of different patterns of language function and use, has involved collecting samples of the naturally occurring speech of 40 preschool children representing an equal number of black and white, lower and middle class children. The research was guided by questions about whether there are differences in the way black and white speakers structure portions of the lexicon and between vocabulary used in the home and in the school, whether phonology plays a greater role than grammar in producing teacher/student misunderstanding, the extent to which children rely on nonverbal as opposed to verbal cues, the extent to which they are likely to adopt a hypothetical stance toward linguistic information, whether children adjust their speech to reflect the contextual needs of a situation, what children's metabehavioral activities are, whether there are situational differences in adults' language in structured situations, and what the proportion of different uses of questions is across different cultural groups. Analysis of the data might focus on lexical analysis, on analysis of mother/child interaction, or on investigation of constraints on conversation. (GT)

A research project combining ethnographic and experimental methods is currently underway to assess whether minority groups use language in ways that put their children at a disadvantage in school. The project, which focuses on social, cognitive, and educational consequences of different patterns of language function and use, has involved collecting samples of the naturally occurring speech of 40 preschool children representing an equal number of black and white, lower and middle class children. The research was guided by questions about whether there are differences in the way black and white speakers structure portions of the lexicon and between vocabulary used in the home and in the school, whether phonology plays a greater role than grammar in producing teacher/student misunderstanding, the extent to which children rely on nonverbal as opposed to verbal cues, the extent to which they are likely to adopt a hypothetical stance toward linguistic information, whether children adjust their speech to reflect the contextual needs of a situation, what children's metabehavioral activities are, whether there are situational differences in adults' language in structured situations, and what the proportion of different uses of questions is across different cultural groups. Analysis of the data might focus on lexical analysis, on analysis of mother/child interaction, or on investigation of constraints on conversation. (GT)

A research project combining ethnographic and experimental methods is currently underway to assess whether minority groups use language in ways that put their children at a disadvantage in school. The project, which focuses on social, cognitive, and educational consequences of different patterns of language function and use, has involved collecting samples of the naturally occurring speech of 40 preschool children representing an equal number of black and white, lower and middle class children. The research was guided by questions about whether there are differences in the way black and white speakers structure portions of the lexicon and between vocabulary used in the home and in the school, whether phonology plays a greater role than grammar in producing teacher/student misunderstanding, the extent to which children rely on nonverbal as opposed to verbal cues, the extent to which they are likely to adopt a hypothetical stance toward linguistic information, whether children adjust their speech to reflect the contextual needs of a situation, what children's metabehavioral activities are, whether there are situational differences in adults' language in structured situations, and what the proportion of different uses of questions is across different cultural groups. Analysis of the data might focus on lexical analysis, on analysis of mother/child interaction, or on investigation of constraints on conversation. (GT)

This paper argues that verbal language plays a mediating role in the development of musical thinking. Two excerpts from the transcripts of conducting students' practica are interpreted. The verbal language that student conductors use during their rehearsals is a path to their musical thinking. Lev Vygotsky's social psychological theory of language offers a research-based theoretical framework to show the links between speaking and thinking. The study uses the two excerpts from the students' work to show how one student attempted to explain musical concepts, and the other used language to clarify and resolve a musical problem created by a desire to realize a musical concept. The paper implies that language has a great position in music teacher education courses because music-related talk is an essential part of students' formation as musicians and teachers. (Contains 62 references.) (EH)

This volume presents (1) Russian Language elements (sentences, phrases, patterns) organized by Language Functions and Functional Categories, (2) Russian Language Rolebooks for the Advisor and Instructor roles. (Author)

Programed training filmstrips from Project LIFE (Language Instruction to Facilitate Education) were used with 114 hearing impaired children and 15 normal hearing language impaired children (4- to 13-years old) to assess the effects of auditory supplementation and a token reinforcement program on language learning and to investigate retention and relearning after a 3 to 6 month interval. Ss were assigned to either a visual or audiovisual training modality and subdivided further into a token or non-token reinforcement condition. Evaluation measures included periodic administration of receptive and expressive generalization tests to measure transfer of learning. Among conclusions were that primary students benefited from auditory supplementation of the Project LIFE filmstrips, that Ss using Project LIFE showed no additional benefit from an extrinsic token reinforcement system, and that Ss retained the receptive language skills acquired during Project LIFE instruction over an interval of at least 6 months. (Appended are receptive and expressive generalization tests used in the study.) (LS)

Programed training filmstrips from Project LIFE (Language Instruction to Facilitate Education) were used with 114 hearing impaired children and 15 normal hearing language impaired children (4- to 13-years old) to assess the effects of auditory supplementation and a token reinforcement program on language learning and to investigate retention and relearning after a 3 to 6 month interval. Ss were assigned to either a visual or audiovisual training modality and subdivided further into a token or non-token reinforcement condition. Evaluation measures included periodic administration of receptive and expressive generalization tests to measure transfer of learning. Among conclusions were that primary students benefited from auditory supplementation of the Project LIFE filmstrips, that Ss using Project LIFE showed no additional benefit from an extrinsic token reinforcement system, and that Ss retained the receptive language skills acquired during Project LIFE instruction over an interval of at least 6 months. (Appended are receptive and expressive generalization tests used in the study.) (LS)

THIS ARTICLE PRESENTED THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSES CONCERNING IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF LANGUAGE. IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT A LEARNING THEORY WHICH INEGRATES INSTRUMENTAL AND CLASSICAL CONDITIONING, CUTTING ACROSS THEORETICAL LINES, COULD SERVE AS THE BASIS FOR A COMPREHENSIVE THEORY OF LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND FUNCTION. THE PAPER ILLUSTRATED THE POSSIBILITIES OF SUCH AN INTEGRATED LEARNING APPROACH BY SHOWING THAT WORD MEANING IS ACQUIRED ACCORDING TO THE PRINCIPLES OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING. HOWEVER, WORDS THAT HAVE ACQUIRED EMOTIONAL MEANING THROUGH THE PROCESS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING FUNCTION FOR THE INDIVIDUAL ACCORDING TO THE PRINCIPLES OF INSTRUMENTAL CONDITIONING. THE FINDINGS PRESENTED, DERIVED FROM THE INTEGRATED LEARNING THEORY, CONTRIBUTE TOWARD A LEARNING CONCEPTION OF WORD MEANING, INDICATE ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL FUNCTIONS OF LANGUAGE (ITS MOTIVATIONAL FUNCTION), AND DEMONSTRATE THE VALUE OF THE APPROACH. AN ANALYSIS OF ANOTHER TYPE OF WORD MEANING, DENOTATIVE MEANING, WAS ALSO PRESENTED. (JC)

This article examined longitudinal relations among socioeconomic risk, maternal language input, child vocabulary, and child executive function in a large sample (N =1,009) recruited for a prospective longitudinal study. Two measures of maternal language input derived from a parent- child picture book task, vocabulary diversity and language complexity, showed variation by socioeconomic risk at child ages 15, 24, and 36 months. Maternal vocabulary diversity at child age 24 months and maternal language complexity at child age 36 months mediated the relation between socioeconomic risk and 48-month child executive function, independent of parenting sensitivity. Moreover, 36-month child vocabulary mediated the relation between maternal language input and child executive function. These findings provide novel evidence about mechanisms linking socioeconomic risk and child executive function. [This paper was written with FLP Key Investigators and was published in "Child Development" v90 n6 p2001-2018 2019.]

This article examined longitudinal relations among socioeconomic risk, maternal language input, child vocabulary, and child executive function in a large sample (N =1,009) recruited for a prospective longitudinal study. Two measures of maternal language input derived from a parent- child picture book task, vocabulary diversity and language complexity, showed variation by socioeconomic risk at child ages 15, 24, and 36 months. Maternal vocabulary diversity at child age 24 months and maternal language complexity at child age 36 months mediated the relation between socioeconomic risk and 48-month child executive function, independent of parenting sensitivity. Moreover, 36-month child vocabulary mediated the relation between maternal language input and child executive function. These findings provide novel evidence about mechanisms linking socioeconomic risk and child executive function. [This paper was written with FLP Key Investigators and was published in "Child Development" v90 n6 p2001-2018 2019.]

This article examined longitudinal relations among socioeconomic risk, maternal language input, child vocabulary, and child executive function in a large sample (N =1,009) recruited for a prospective longitudinal study. Two measures of maternal language input derived from a parent- child picture book task, vocabulary diversity and language complexity, showed variation by socioeconomic risk at child ages 15, 24, and 36 months. Maternal vocabulary diversity at child age 24 months and maternal language complexity at child age 36 months mediated the relation between socioeconomic risk and 48-month child executive function, independent of parenting sensitivity. Moreover, 36-month child vocabulary mediated the relation between maternal language input and child executive function. These findings provide novel evidence about mechanisms linking socioeconomic risk and child executive function. [This paper was written with FLP Key Investigators and was published in "Child Development" v90 n6 p2001-2018 2019.]

The topic centers on the importance of cultural awareness and language familiarization in the Marine Corps. The central question posed by the Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning (CAOCL) is that since a warfighting function aids in unity of effort and focuses Marine Corps planners, would the establishment of language and culture as the seventh warfighting function ensure language and culture is integrated into all operational and strategic planning efforts? Instead of implementing a seventh warfighting function, the Marine Corps should continue to build upon the doctrinal shifts within the current planning process, create Culture Operators through implementing regional Marine Expeditionary Forces, continue to leverage technology to deliver language and culture across the Marine Corps and continue to build the bridge into the anthropology and social science communities to ensure that language and culture are embedded in the planning process, as well as in the hands of the individual Marine.

The topic centers on the importance of cultural awareness and language familiarization in the Marine Corps. The central question posed by the Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning (CAOCL) is that since a warfighting function aids in unity of effort and focuses Marine Corps planners, would the establishment of language and culture as the seventh warfighting function ensure language and culture is integrated into all operational and strategic planning efforts? Instead of implementing a seventh warfighting function, the Marine Corps should continue to build upon the doctrinal shifts within the current planning process, create Culture Operators through implementing regional Marine Expeditionary Forces, continue to leverage technology to deliver language and culture across the Marine Corps and continue to build the bridge into the anthropology and social science communities to ensure that language and culture are embedded in the planning process, as well as in the hands of the individual Marine.

A study used both a survey and observation to investigate the phenomenon of politer speech among Japanese women than among Japanese men. The survey of 256 men and 271 women, parents of college students at a college in Tokyo and representing a middle-class population, inquired about the respondents' personal use of polite forms of Japanese. It is noted that in this population, men are most likely to be businessmen and women are more likely to have a traditional role as housewife. Degree of politeness was then calculated for both men and women according to type of addressee (e.g., child, spouse, workplace superior), specific linguistic form, and frequency of interaction with the different types of addressee. Results suggest that what appear to be more polite speech among women is at least in part due to women's more frequent interaction with addressees requiring more polite speech forms. Patterns of politeness are characterized by two behaviors, deference and demeanor, which serve different functions in the interactions. Four features of women's language use (repertoire of personal pronouns, avoidance of vulgar expressions, hypercorrected honorifics, and sentence final particles) were then examined as they represent or are related to deference and demeanor behaviors. (MSE)

English is taught to students whose first language is not English but who require it for a specific task, activity, or goal through ESP. The acronym ESP stands for "English for Specific Purposes," also known as "English for Special Purposes." Although it is widely accepted that teaching ESP courses should emphasize language skills such as reading, writing, listening, and speaking, this often depends on the needs and interests of the students. The course design for English for Specific Purposes, the role of the teacher and student in ESP, and difficulties related to the environment, the student, and other factors in ESP teaching are all covered in this article.

English is taught to students whose first language is not English but who require it for a specific task, activity, or goal through ESP. The acronym ESP stands for "English for Specific Purposes," also known as "English for Special Purposes." Although it is widely accepted that teaching ESP courses should emphasize language skills such as reading, writing, listening, and speaking, this often depends on the needs and interests of the students. The course design for English for Specific Purposes, the role of the teacher and student in ESP, and difficulties related to the environment, the student, and other factors in ESP teaching are all covered in this article.

Large Language Models (LLMs) have surfaced as strong instruments in education, presenting customized learning experiences, automated tutoring, and improved accessibility. This paper examines the advantages of incorporating LLMs into educational environments, their influence on student involvement, and possible issues such as biases, misinformation, and ethical dilemmas. By evaluating existing applications and future possibilities, this study seeks to offer insights into how educators can utilize LLMs for efficient and inclusive learning.

Large Language Models (LLMs) have surfaced as strong instruments in education, presenting customized learning experiences, automated tutoring, and improved accessibility. This paper examines the advantages of incorporating LLMs into educational environments, their influence on student involvement, and possible issues such as biases, misinformation, and ethical dilemmas. By evaluating existing applications and future possibilities, this study seeks to offer insights into how educators can utilize LLMs for efficient and inclusive learning.

Language and its function in society download

This volume presents (1) American English language elements (sentences, phrases, patterns) organized by Language Functions and Functional Categories; (2) Rolebooks giving utterances in six Technical Roles for three Functional Categories in three modes of conversation. (Author)

We examined the extent to which the timing of inferential questioning influenced kindergartners' inferencing performance in a non-reading context, while also taking into account individual differences in language comprehension and executive function. Students completed the eight-week Early Language Comprehension Individualized Instruction (ELCII) application by responding to audiovisual inferential questions administered in one of two timing conditions: either (1) during video watching at various points (online) or (2) after the video was finished ("offline"). Results suggest that online questioning fostered greater overall gains in inferencing skill from pretest to posttest. Moreover, students with higher executive function demonstrated greater gain in inferencing than students with lower executive function. Likewise, students with higher language comprehension skills demonstrated greater gains in inferencing than students with lower language comprehension skills. Theoretical and instructional implications of the findings and areas for future research are discussed. [This is the online version of an article published in "Scientific Studies of Reading."]

The fiction of James Kelman is clearly not written in standard literary English. This paper examines some of the different ways in which the language of his novels and stories diverges from standard English, and discusses the extent to which these divergences contribute to his stated literary aims. It will be argued that Kelman in his fiction, is developing a literary language that is neither "standard" nor "dialect," but trades on both in pursuit of specific literary ends. (Contains 13 references.) (Author)

Recording, narrative, exposition, and argument were hypothesized to present writing tasks of increasing cognitive and verbal complexity. This was investigated by obtaining writing samples in each mode from a stratified sample of 128 Australian sixteen year olds. The cognitive-complexity hypothesis was supported by data concerning the relative discriminative power of the four tasks, as reflected in the correlation between judges, the correlation between task scores and examination results, and the difference in performance of more and less advanced pupils as assessed by their schools. The verbal-complexity hypothesis was supported by significant differences among the tasks on words per phrase, phrases per clause, and clauses per sentence. The more advanced pupils showed greater flexibility in patterns of language use than did the less advanced pupils. (Author/AA)

Gestural behavior between mothers and young children was hypothesized to be important in the acquisition of communicative competence. It was presumed that a typology of gestural function could assess non-verbal behavior. Data consisted of sound film samples of feeding and bathing events of three subject pairs. Initially the children ranged in age from 19-21 months. The children exceeded their mothers in the use of gestural behavior at each time period and children's gestural behavior significantly decreased over time. Although maternal gestural behavior generally decreased over time, an increase at Time IV occurred. Mothers used gesture to assess and reinforce existing knowledge. Analysis of non-verbal behavior indicated that dissimilar gestural functions are expressed by similar motor acts and, conversely, that dissimilar motor acts express similar functions. Analysis of gestural functions subsumed equivalent to complementary verbal functional categories showed that children's gestures support linguistic skills. Some gestures were believed to map symbolic behavior, other non-symbolic gestures demonstrated reliance on non-verbal behavior to acquire skills of communicative competence. (Author)

This paper examines the possible role of grammar throughout Key Stages 3 and 4 in the modern language curriculum where communication is the central tenet. It also discusses how total or virtually total use of target language (German) in the classroom can help deal with the dichotomy of grammar versus communication and bring about an integrated approach, marrying form and function. The paper asserts that grammar can be an integral part of the communicative approach, using total target language skills as the link. It highlights: what grammar means; grammar's role; planning for the inclusion of grammar in the modern languages curriculum; grammar's place in the communicative approach; grammar should always be second to meaning and in context; different learner needs; language chunks versus breakdown; the high or low value of language to the learner; modified language; focusing on form; target language versus mother tongue; the extent to which grammatical terminology should be used; when and how to give corrective feedback; rule discovery by the learner; grammar notes made by learners; learning styles and strategies; revisiting, refinement, and extension; a place for grammar in the four skill areas; a departmental approach; and the department's role. The paper concludes that grammar does have a place in the communicative approach. (Contains 12 references.) (SM)

This study is a longitudinal observational study investigating between-person differences in brain structure as a function of language exposure, executive functioning skills and socioeconomic status. The proposed analysis will evaluate the potential mediating role of language exposure and brain structure in the relationship between childhood executive function and socioeconomic status as well as the general relationships between the stated variables.

POST-TEST INTELLIGENCE SCORES OF YOUNG NEGRO CHILDREN OBTAINED FOLLOWING A 6-MONTH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT WERE COMPARED ACCORDING TO THE RACE AND SEX OF THE EXAMINER ADMINISTERING THE TEST. PRETEST SCORES OBTAINED PRIOR TO LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT HAD INDICATED THAT NEGRO EXAMINERS PRODUCED SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER STANFORD-BINET IQ SCORES THAN WHITE EXAMINERS. A SIMILAR, NONSIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE HAD BEEN FOUND FOR SCORES ON THE ILLINOIS TEST OF PSYCHOLINGUISTIC ABILITIES (ITPA). IN THE PRESENT STUDY, NO DIFFERENCES ASSOCIATED WITH THE RACE AND SEX OF THE EXAMINER AND THE SEX OF THE CHILD WERE OBTAINED WITH 240 STANFORD-BINET POST-TEST SCORES. WHITE EXAMINERS PRODUCED SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER SCORES THAN NEGRO EXAMINERS WITH 160 ITPA POST-TEST RESULTS. THE GREATEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NEGRO AND WHITE EXAMINERS OCCURRED ON THE ITPA VOCAL ENCODING SUBTEST, WHERE WHITES PRODUCED MORE SPONTANEOUS VOCALIZATION. SEX DIFFERENCES WERE MINIMAL AND INCONSISTENT WITHIN THE ITPA SUBTESTS. DIFFERENCES ASSOCIATED WITH THE RACE OF EXAMINER ON PRE- AND POST-TEST SCORES WERE DISCUSSED IN TERMS OF A COMPLEX INTERACTION (KATZ, 1964). THIS INTERACTION BETWEEN RACE OF EXAMINER AND TASK COMPLEXITY CAUSES NEGRO SUBJECTS TO PERFORM BETTER FOR NEGRO EXAMINERS ON COMPLEX TASKS DUE TO THE INTERFERING EFFECTS OF ANXIETY ASSOCIATED WITH WHITE EXAMINERS, EFFECTS WHICH MAY BE REVERSED IF A TASK IS MADE LESS COMPLEX OR THE ANXIETY ASSOCIATED WITH WHITE EXAMINERS IS REDUCED. (JH)

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 20 titles deal with the following topics: the role of crib talk in language acquisition; syntactic parsing strategies; a case study of the first use of words; how two modes of literature presentation affect oral language development; children's cognition and acquisition of selected syntactic structures; language use in constructing/testing social scientific theories; the functions of language in discussions; visual literacy as a factor in language development; form and function as a basis for referential development in children; discriminating synthetic speech sounds; assessing secondary school students' knowledge of prefixes; language within power relationships; a flexible child-talk code; developing spatial and syntactic transformations; the acquisition of five syntactic structures by elementary school children; the developmental relationship between comprehension and production of grammatical morphemes in preschool children; how preschool children sequence narrative events; classifying preschool children's uses of meaningful language on selected conceptual tasks; maternal self-repetition and child feedback; and the mastery of specific conjunctions by elementary school children. (RL)

This report documents GNU GCC options for interoperability between C/C++ and FORTRAN. Compiling legacy software on the Linux platform necessitated the usage of GNU compilers and changes to several intrinsic functions. Several miscellaneous related activities are also included. Experimentation was required to achieve success. Included are examples demonstrating particular usage of each. The functions addressed are TIME(), CTIME(), ETIME(), ITIME(), IDATE() (FORTRAN), getenv(), strncpy() (C), and vector (C++).

This report is a continuation of Technical Report (TR) 22646 [ADA558295] and documents GNU and Intel Fortran/C++ compiler options for interoperability between C/C++ and FORTRAN. The actions addressed are manipulation of Fortran COMMON BLOCKS with C++ Structures and the usage of multiple definitions.

Includes bibliographies

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 20 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: semantic constructivity in children's comprehension; text-based inferences generated by children in reading written discourse; a review of reading comprehension research; the psycholinguistic processes of beginning readers; the relationship between discourse structures and critical reading; information processing and retrieval of adult college students; the effects of anaphoric references, typographically modified organizers, and oral prequestioning on reading comprehension; word analysis strategies for reading; the effect of question order on reading achievement; sentence characteristics that influence the comprehensibility of text; the effect of chunking on the recall of written discourse; types of information addition in the psycholinguistic process of reading; the relationship of knowledge of given information to reading comprehension; prose learning as a function of adjunct questions and individual differences; and the relationship of language cues used in silent reading to the semantic and syntactic cues revealed in oral reading miscues. (GW)

This volume presents Iberian Spanish Language elements (sentences, phrases, patterns), organized by Language Functions and Functional Categories. (Author)

Following Roman Jakobson, this article attempts to outline the affinity between linguistic change induced by language contact and conflict, and the poetic function of language. This phenomenon can be observed by studying the discourses of trilingual speakers in the Aosta Valley in Northern Italy. The problematic position of French is reflected and articulated by means of poetic procedures in interviews, but they allow the creation of a typical regional variety of Italian as well. On the other hand, poetic functions in the discourses of young subjects in French suburbs are an important factor in the emergence of a new French contact variety, the result of complex contacts of languages and cultures and the medium of an "interstitial" contact and conflict culture. The paper concludes that the poetic function of language is the laboratory of new legitimate horizons of sense and expression, especially within the dynamics of contacts and conflicts between languages and cultures. (Contains 27 references.) (Author/VWL)

john_backus.mpg

The authors add to and extend the emerging evidence base of the effects of public preschool programs on child school readiness. Using a quasi-experimental, Regression Discontinuity (RD) design, they estimate the impacts of a universal preschool program on children's early numeracy, language, literacy, and executive function skills, both for the overall population and for several subgroups. While they find impacts similar to those reported in other public prekindergarten RD studies, they make a unique contribution to the literature, as theirs is the first causal study of a universal prekindergarten program in which a uniform curricula was in place across the district and in which they have information about the type of care experienced by control children during the treatment year. At Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, they will also present results from robustness checks new to this literature, including sensitivity of results to differential time to join and attrit from the intervention. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

The authors add to and extend the emerging evidence base of the effects of public preschool programs on child school readiness. Using a quasi-experimental, Regression Discontinuity (RD) design, they estimate the impacts of a universal preschool program on children's early numeracy, language, literacy, and executive function skills, both for the overall population and for several subgroups. While they find impacts similar to those reported in other public prekindergarten RD studies, they make a unique contribution to the literature, as theirs is the first causal study of a universal prekindergarten program in which a uniform curricula was in place across the district and in which they have information about the type of care experienced by control children during the treatment year. At Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, they will also present results from robustness checks new to this literature, including sensitivity of results to differential time to join and attrit from the intervention. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

This bibliography presents annotations of 91 journal articles, books, chapters in books, and conference papers dating from 1967 to 1984 concerning neurolinguistics, language processing, and educational implications of brain research. The annotated bibliography includes eight items on neuroanatomy and language function; 20 items on neurolinguistics in language processing and production; 34 items on hemisphericity and language function; and 29 items on educational implications of brain research related to teaching the language arts in reading, writing, and oral communication. (Nine figures are included.) (RS)

This bibliography presents annotations of 91 journal articles, books, chapters in books, and conference papers dating from 1967 to 1984 concerning neurolinguistics, language processing, and educational implications of brain research. The annotated bibliography includes eight items on neuroanatomy and language function; 20 items on neurolinguistics in language processing and production; 34 items on hemisphericity and language function; and 29 items on educational implications of brain research related to teaching the language arts in reading, writing, and oral communication. (Nine figures are included.) (RS)

This volume presents (1) Mandarin Chinese elements (sentences, phrases, patterns) organized by Language Functions and Functional Categories, (2) the Instructor Rolebook in Mandarin Chinese. (Author)

This volume presents (1) Mandarin Chinese elements (sentences, phrases, patterns) organized by Language Functions and Functional Categories, (2) the Instructor Rolebook in Mandarin Chinese. (Author)