Research is reported that showed phonetic and phonological training to be given peripheral attention or neglected in second language instruction in one geographic area. It is suggested this neglect stems from (1) low teacher and student expectation of success in attaining a native-like accent, and (2) assumptions that a non-native-like accent will…

Examines genetic influences on language by assessing 158 preschool twins on vocabulary comprehension, semantic knowledge, morphology, syntax, and articulation. Vocabulary comprehension was significantly influenced by heredity, whereas performance skills were influenced by between-family environmental factors. (Author/AS)

The need for testing oral proficiency in the foreign language is discussed and several kinds of testing procedures described. A specific oral language production test is suggested. (RM)

This paper analyzes syllables in Liangshan Yi, a Tibeto-Burman language also known as Nosu and spoken in the Sichuan Province of China, and provides a detailed articulatory description of the range of distinctive syllables in the Xide County vernacular. The paper concludes that the phonemicization upon which the standardized version of orthography…

A study examined patterns in production of Spanish voiced and voiceless stop consonants by native English speakers, focusing on the interaction between two acoustic cues of stops: voice closure interval and voice onset time (VOT). The study investigated whether learners acquire the appropriate phonetic categories with regard to these stops and if…

Reports a study determining whether significant differences in formant frequency are apparent when chronological age is compared with a measure of physiological age for children during the first six years. (TO)

Study was designed to examine social-class differences in speech as produced under three conditions varying from highly structured to a more natural linguistic setting. (Authors)

The Denver Articulation Screening Exam, an articulation screening test for economically disadvantaged children was designed for use by trained nonprofessional workers. (Author/GW)

Revised version of a paper presented at the 79th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Atlantic City, N.J., April 21-24, 1970; research supported in part by the Science Research Council (U.K.) and by the National Institutes of Health. (RS)