The Study
In this study, Dr. Laura Apol (formerly Obbink), assistant professor at Michigan State University, examined the development of language in the children and made the case that it, like the cultural development of literacy, begins with the spoken words. The study posits that young children are natural versifiers and subsequent literacy development should be built on this foundation that emphasizes rhymes, which originated centuries ago as cultural oral language statements, represent the intersection of historical and developmental literacy.

The Findings
A great deal of children's speech seems to be uttered for the pleasure of speaking. Young children exhibit attraction to word repetitions that rhyme: dada, mama, bye-bye, night-night; children's babbling is rhythmic and filled with music and sound. As they grow older, children chant in rhythmic sing-song fashion while they clap or stomp or jump to the beat. Initially, Mother Goose rhymes appeal to children because of their built-in rhythm and pleasurable combination of sounds; in addition, the verses help children understand and organize reality and when they are old enough, see the foolishness of some of the verse' story line. If we skip over the oral stage in the education process too hurriedly, we do damage the very conceptual powers we aim to develop. The literacy of the classroom will be strengthened if it is liberally laced with oral language experiences as well the language of prose and text.

What It Means to You
Just as preschoolers have love to experiment with word changes and rhythm variations in ways that satisfy and amuse them, so too can older children gain aesthetic pleasure from modern versifers such as Mary Ann Hoberman, David McCord, Eve Merriam, Ogden Nash, Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein. It is desirable for schools to instill in learners an appreciation for all types of verse--unrhymed as well as rhymed, free verse as well as verse that is heavily rhythmic. Since a mature appreciation of literature develops from and depends on the experiences of childhood, school people are challenged to help students appreciate and then pass from traditional nursery verse to other forms of poetry and prose.

More Information
To learn more about this topic, consult Obbink, L.A., The Primacy of Poetry: Oral Culture and the Young Child, The New Advocate, Volume 3, Number4, Fall 1990,pp.227-234.

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