ABSTRACT
Itisnopartofmypurposeinthischaptertosiftthroughthevastamounts ofevidenceforandagainstthetruthofverbal-deficittheories.WhatI hopetodoistoputforwardanddefendanattitudetothesetheoriesthat, ifaccepted,willallowthereadertoassessthemeritsorflawsofthat evidence.Inthefirstplace,weneedtoremindourselvesthatBereiter, Engelmann,Bernstein,Tough,andotherstooktheirstandonthealleged inferiorcapacityforreasonandrationalityoflower-classlanguage.What doesthisclaimamountto?
