Because of the interdependencies between processes involved with the two types of problems-learning of language competency and learning by language competency-a proper understanding of the latter would seem to presuppose a proper understanding of the former. For this reason, the present report focuses upon the problem of the acquisition of language competency in general, and specifically upon the problem of the acquisition and development of the receptive language skills of auding and reading.
Just recently there have been several major reviews of "basic" research on the nature of the reading process (Davis, 1971), relation of speech to reading (Kavanagh and Mattingly, 1972), the measurement and teaching of auding and reading skills (Duker, 1968; Carroll, 1968, 1972; Corder, 1971), and learning from audio or printed displays of meaningful verbal discourse (Carroll, 1971). Unfortunately, these many reviews reveal little of practical value for improving auding or reading skills.
This is not a singular conclusion. Regarding research on methods for teaching reading, the results of the most recent, most extensive literature review were succinctly stated: "It is clear that the present body of literature is too incomplete, too fragmented, and too often conducted and reported in too general a level to be very useful" (Maxwell and Temp, 1971, p.137). Linguistic theories of language acquisition have been reviewed by Wardhaugh (1971) with the general conclusion: "The theories of language acquisition that are available to us today are largely irrelevant in deciding issues in beginning reading instruction or even in devising models of the reading process" (pp. 6-179). Also concerning language acquisition models, Athey (1971) concludes: ". . . the models have little or nothing to say about reading" (pp. 6-65). In the preface to a leading "renaissance" volume in basic research on reading, Levin and Williams (1970) state: "We have nothing to add to the fantastically large, and for the most part ineffective, literature on teaching people to read these studies are not concerned with practical issues of reading instruction" (p. ix).
Even in such fundamental areas as the measurement of listening (auding) and reading ability, a problem long assailed by psychometric specialists, we find Carroll (1972) lamenting that" 'Listening comprehension' and 'reading comprehension' are two phrases that appear frequently in educational literature, but there is much study and debate as to what those phrases might mean" (p. 2). He refers to the STEP Tests of Listening published by ETS (Educational Testing Service,1956-59) as a "true hodge-podge" and is disturbed that ". . .the various tests of 'listening ability' tend to show no higher intercorrelations among themselves than they show with reading and intelligence tests" (p. 2).