The selection of appropriate vocabulary is a crucial and challenging aspect of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention. Core vocabulary lists are frequently used to support vocabulary selection for children who require AAC. A vocabulary domain that has garnered limited attention within the AAC literature is relational basic…

Two hundred job application forms from retail, food, service, and light industry were analyzed for vocabulary. Frequency and relative rankings were revealed for 131 words which were found on at least 80 percent of the forms. (CL)

Sight word lists have been used since prior to 20 B.C. and have changed forms many times. Today sight word lists are numerous and are widely and variously used. They differ in source, intended purpose and/or audience, and criteria for including specific words. Despite the differences, there is much agreement that they do reflect the most basic…

After examining how Dolch developed his list of 220 basic sight words and identifying major criticisms of this list, the author reports two studies undertaken to revise the Dolch list. Five advantages of the revised Dolch list over the original are identified and discussed. The revised list is included. (Editor/SJL)

Basic words have been defined as those from which other words can be derived semantically. The assumption underlying the instructional utility of a list of basic words is that a knowledge of them would provide a key to the understanding of a much larger set of related words. Although it has been shown that there are far too many basic words in the…

A method for developing and expanding basic French vocabulary by using a basic word list and derivation techniques is examined, and research on this approach is presented. (MSE)

A study was conducted to answer the question, "What are the basic words in a list of words kindergarten through sixth grade students will frequently encounter in their reading?" The study was limited to the words the students would encounter in their textbooks (including basals). A corpus of 7,230 words was then analyzed by two raters to…

The Reading-Spelling Vocabulary Program (RSVP) is a list of 900 words of highest frequency selected from 14 previous studies of words in print, spoken vocabulary, and children's and adults' handwriting. The words are divided into four levels and 60 lessons of 15 words each. When a sample test was constructed and administered to 266 elementary…

A short survey of the classifications of Russian verbs from the fields of linguistics and language teaching is presented, and a classification useful for language teaching based on linguistic principles is developed. The classification is demonstrated using 1,400 verbs and 4,000 frequently used words in language teaching. (SW)

Focuses on the examination of pupil responses for grades two through four in a study that provides more recent information about the performance of pupils on the Dolch Test. Provides some observations to assist teachers in interpreting the result of pupil responses to these words. (MG)

A study explored the written compositions of elementary school students (ages 6-14) and the vocabulary they use. Compositions were written by a large national sample of over 4,000 children, who were given free rein to write whatever they wanted; thus the study provides status information on the vocabulary that children currently use. The study…

Some minimum competency testing programs were created chiefly as a vehicle to improve the quality of basic skills instruction. In these programs, the tests are used to define instructional targets clearly and, thereby, enhance the quality of instruction. Few testing programs have included readability levels in their test specifications. In 1979…

A comparison of four college-level elementary German textbooks reveals significant differences in the numbers of vocabulary entries in each textbook. Further comparison of three of the textbooks with the basic German vocabulary lists provided in "Kontaktschwelle Deutsch als Fremdsprache" and in "Das Zertificat Deutsch als Fremdsprache" reveal in…

An approach to language textbooks evaluation based on objective criteria and relying on data easily obtained by means of computers, such as word frequency lists, is proposed. The importance of vocabulary acquisition in language learning is emphasized. Accordingly, word selection and rate of repetition are seen as central evaluation criteria. (MES)

This monograph is based on research designed to (1) identify the vocabulary words introduced at each grade level by the basal reader series adopted by the Georgia Board of Education; (2) determine the extent of overlap among the books is the series; (3) compare these lists with other recognized word lists; and (4) generated a list of words for the…