The two studies of predisposition toward verbal behavior (PVB) reported in this paper examined the behavior of interactants who have dissimilar verbal predispositions in task-oriented discussions. In the first study, 20 groups of three members each were given an interpersonal task that involved reaching a consensus. In the second study, 17 pairs…

This paper examines etiquette books as repositories of cultural beliefs about the differing ways men and women should talk and the beliefs about the differing ways men and women actually talk. Etiquette books published in the past 150 years are examined to measure consistency or change in these beliefs, and the implications of the study for actual…

Little is known about grammatical sophistication in the written language of school-age children. This study provides normative data on the occurrence of different complexity levels of major grammatical parameters in written compositions of nine-year-old children. These parameters include productivity of language, correctness of language usage, the…

Data derived from the spontaneous speech samples of 64 first grade Negro children (32 from an inner city ghetto and 32 from a racially integrated middle income suburb of the same city) were examined to determine whether the difference in socioeconomic circumstances affected (1) the use of nine structural patterns of English and confusion in the…

Americans tend to derive nicknames and more intimate affectionate nicknames from a person's formal first name; the type of name used depends on the social situation and the relationship between the two people. In many cases, for both masculine and feminine names, the nickname is derived from the first (or sometimes the second) syllable of the…

In extending the concept of self-disclosure which is concerned with the content of personal communication, the focus of this review is on a process conception of disclosure called revealingness. Revealingness deals with the communication of self as measured by linguistic style, and in some cases, voice quality, as well as the content of the…

The distinction between formal and casual English as reflected in the lexicon, in phonology, and in syntax is studied. Formality is treated as separate from other categorizations of language such as geographical origin of the speaker, social class of the participants, or specific context of discourse. The study was restricted mainly to the use of…

Effects of varying latencies upon articulatory productions in the stimulus-response paradigm were studied. Zero latency was compared to latency equal to stimuli and to latency with silent rehearsal of muscular movements. Thirty children with misarticulated /r/ from kindergarten, first, and second grades participated as subjects. Stimulus /ra/ was…

Developed by the Oregon Elementary English Project, this curriculum unit introduces third and fourth graders to variations in language. Students are led from recognizing that we associate certain sounds with specific settings to recognizing that we associate certain dialects with specific regions. Lessons 1 through 7 involve the use of three…

A study comparing women's and men's ratings of their own and ideal speech showed that a greater number of speech characteristics of males differed from the speech characteristics of the ideal speaker. Women are advised to consider the desirable characteristics associated with female speech before altering their speech by such means as…

The analysis of syllable and pause durations in speech production can provide information about the properties of a speaker's grammatical code. Seven experiments analyzed syllable and pause durations in structurally ambiguous sentences. Results showed that a single hierarchial principle provided a unified account of speech timing effects for…

Ten children (mean age = 6 years, 7 months) who misarticulated /r/ participated in a task designed to survey inconsistent misarticulatory behavior, repeating 51 sentences during each of three trials. (Author/IM)

This study examined the influence of pubertal timing upon family interactions in normal and psychiatric adolescent samples, emphasizing microanalysis of family behaviors and processes. It was found that on-time adolescents and their parents differed from both off-time groups. (Author/LMO)

Recent empirical findings have challenged Vygotsky's theory regarding the self-regulatory functions of children's private speech. This study hypothesized that semantic tasks and instructions to talk out loud would maximize private speech production. Results supported Vygotsky's notion that private speech does not disappear with age but "goes…

Article devoted attention to the effect television has on verbal ability and development and the manner in which television may serve as a model for language usage. Author also outlined some of the limitations imposed on language by television. (Author/RK)