This dissertation argues that the skill of using language to communicate should be based on the continuous development of the ability to use imagery, metaphor, and the inherently ambiguous nature of language. Since language is a symbolic restructuring of experience, any method designed to teach language arts must reflect the interplay between language and experience. Ambiguity forces the listener to share in the creation and transfer of meaning, and it allows children the possibility of exploring their own creative efforts in language play. In this respect, language is not split into the expressions of reality and fantasy; both the effective and expressive functions of language can be encouraged. (Author/KS)