Originally a dissertation for the degree of Master of Science in the Department of Computation, UMIST (University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology), U.K., 1981. This is a scanned copy of the original, January 2010. The dissertation specifies a set of computer programs to allow learners to interact with a computer through written language. It sets out the computational foundations for an approach later investigated in a Ph.D. thesis, "Natural Language, Computer-Assisted Learning and Language-Impaired Children," by the same author, at the Department of Psychology, University of...

This is a scanned copy of a thesis successfully submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Psychology, University of Hull, U.K. in 1987. We learn language by using it. Interaction with others through language is essential for normal language development. Children with delayed or impaired language may therefore benefit from additional experience of interacting through language in structured situations. This thesis explores how computers might help provide this experience. It reports a project in which programs were developed to hold written dialogues about screen...