ABSTRACT
The development of power and effi ciency with any form of language derives from using language for genuine purposes, not from studying about it.
(Walter Logan, 1978, p. 100)
Teachers need to be aware of the beauty of language that can be found in the ways children express themselves. Often the idiosyncratic phrases of children in the nursery years are subdued, because they do not seem proper. Subcultural groups have expressions that enrich children’s language, yet teachers frequently exclude these from their classroom. Teachers need to support and cherish these rather than try to eliminate them. The beauty of language is enhanced when communication is a personal statement rather than a predetermined series of phrases. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the learning of oral language, the relationship between language and play, language experiences, the language environment, learning written language, and writing in children’s play.
