ABSTRACT
The vocabulary gap A pre-school child who comes from a family where language is appreciated will be exposed to a far greater range of vocabulary than his peer who has had relatively little language directed at them. In language-rich environments a child will have access to challenging vocabulary through books being read to him and wide-ranging daily interactions (Hart & Risley, 1995). The peer who has not benefited from this rich pre-school language experience will start school with a more limited vocabulary. The child who knows fewer words will also learn words at a slower rate, so this gap will continue to grow throughout childhood (Biemiller, 2004).
