First published in 1985

In children’s language we are in search of the “great bears,” the clear solid patterns that hold up after countless angles of view and after many, many lenses have been tried.

In the first four volumes of this series, Children's Language, there has been coverage of alternative theories and methods in syntax, semantics, discourse, phonology, figurative language, second language learning, the transition to text processing, and story structures, among other topics.

In order to present a lively account of development, the authors in the first four volumes were encouraged to each adopt a flexible format—one that best fit their own material rather than sticking to a standard review organization. Exactly the same approach has been taken by the authors of the present volume 5.