ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the acquisition of grammar or the structure of language, the acquisition of vocabulary, the acquisition of multiple functions of language, and the acquisition of a standard dialect. Then there will be postscripts on the relation of pre-school language development to non-verbal behavior and to beginning reading. The chapter reviews research on subcultural differences in child language. Research on the intraindividual or mediational use of language is important for pre-school education because the dimension of cognitive growth which brings increased independence of response from immediate stimulation seems to take a qualitative leap in the 5 to 7 age range. The reason for educational concern about grammar, vocabulary, and language function relates to the use of language for learning and communicating ideas. Concern for a standard dialect relates to what Joshua Fishman has aptly called "the Pygmalion effect" of language, that is, its role in social mobility.
