This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 27 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the vocalization of /L/ in Philadelphia; (2) a second grade program to isolate and apply knowledge of vowel sounds in word identification; (3) phoneme and temporal effects on covert linguistic motor activity during silent reading; (4) the sociolinguistics of Kenneth Burke; (5) discourse functions of the active-passive dichotomy in English; (6) similarities and differences in the ability to interpret metaphorical language between nondisadvantaged and disadvantaged sixth grade students; (7) space and the prepositions in English; (8) young children's use of cognitive and linguistic resources in a story situation; (9) the development of elaboration and coherence skills in kindergarten children; (10) the role of language in academic and behavioral difficulties; (11) humorous instruction about the dangling introductory modifier in active, passive, and possessive sentences; (12) mother-infant routines in relationship to language acquisition; (13) the acquisition of conditionals in English; (14) the effects of semantic cues on the word identification speed of learning disabled children and two groups of normal readers; and (15) the syntax and metalinguistic skills of children who read early. (HTH)