Examination of the speech of 33 monolingual Spanish-speaking children found that syllable type affected the correct pronunciation of novel words. The different syllable types comprising the novel words could be hierarchized. Performance on syllable type appeared to be an interaction between the structure of the syllable and phonological processes…

A study examined the role of intelligence in the definition of reading disabilities in languages with different orthographic systems. The study included 94 Spanish children and 157 English-speaking Canadian children and found significant differences between the languages when reading performances was analyzed as a function of verbal IQ scores.…

In dealing with children's language, this document provides a picture of how language is considered in child development, how children differ in their use of language, and how attitudes about children's language tend to be developed. The document may be used for any inservice program on children's speech (directly observable vocal behaviors),…

Five- and seven-year-old English and Spanish speaking children were tested on short term memory, perceptual matching, and referential communication tasks to determine the relationship between linguistic coordination and language group. English speakers had significantly lower performance on the communication and perceptual tasks. (Author/APM)

A study compared 47 Spanish-speaking, predominantly English-speaking, and Spanish-English bilingual children's performance on a battery of semantic tasks. Children in all three groups achieved similar average levels of performance. The profiles of bilingual children in each language were somewhat different from those of the other children.…

This observational study examined code switching, the alternation of language or dialects to convey social meaning, in 6-year-old Spanish-English bilinguals. Specifically, the study attempted to determine which of the five variables were associated with code switches: physical setting; type of activity; characteristics of the addressee (age,…

If children in a bilingual education program are to be equally competent in Spanish and English, there is a clear need for teaching Spanish. This can be done indirectly, by presenting curriculum material such as math, science and art bilingually or in Spanish, by telling stories in Spanish, and by using Spanish for various classroom and playground…

Biculturalism implies much more than bilingualism. Bilingualism has been defined in a variety of ways, but perhaps the most commonly accepted definition is varying degrees of understanding of two languages. But biculturalism implies knowing and being able to operate successfully in two cultures. This means knowing two modes of behavior, and…

This study of code switching among Puerto Rican children attending a New York City public school focuses primarily upon the correlation between interaction rules, as perceived by the participants, and code switching. Code switching strategies of a seven-year-old boy, an eight-year-old girl, and a 10-year-old girl in the bilingual third grade class…

Project H-200 is a series of English-as-a-second-language (ESL) lessons for the primary grades. To supplement direct language instruction by the Project H-200 classroom teacher, two mechanical aids have been devised. These units are designed to reinforce the language patterns that the children learn in the daily lesson. One type projects a…