Re: the following quote: "In the past fifty years...the working vocabulary of the average 14 year old has declined from some 25,000 words to 10,000 word." Statistics such as these are meaningless unless we know the research methodology which generated such numbers. How is "working vocabulary" defined? What population was used to represent the "average" 14 year old? Are we speaking of active, or passive vocabulary (neither of which is easy to define)? Nor is it easy, in research terms, to determine whether someone "knows" a word. The media frequently cite such figures on the "average person's vocabulary" but most of these are completely without research credibility and cannot be verified. For a brief but clear discussion of the issue, you might want to consult David Crystal's book, The English Language, in particulary the chapter on "How Large is Your Lexicon?" --------------------------------------------------------------------- Greta Vollmer, Asst. Professor Sonoma State University Department of English 1801 E. Cotati Ave. (707) 664-2504 Rohnert Park, CA 94928 [log in to unmask]