Thomas Cobb's 2007 applied linguistics paper, "Computing the Vocabulary Demands of L2 Reading" dealt with whether reading alone can build an adequate reading lexicon in a second language, or whether some sort of extra vocabulary training will normally be required. In the article, Cobb proposed that in the case of adult academic ESL…

Every government wants to appear to be tough on asylum seekers. But in failing to offer newcomers immediate access to English language learning one runs the risk of missing out on significant economic and social cohesion benefits. In this article, the author argues that asylum seekers need to get English language support in their first six months…

In England more is spent on English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) for adults than is spent on literacy and numeracy put together, an estimated 323 million pounds for 2007-2008. This may well be the biggest investment in Europe for national language learning for adults. It is argued that ESOL is central to several social policy streams.…

The article by Clahsen and Felser (CF) on grammatical processing in language learning is a timely and much-needed synthesis of research on this topic. It correctly identifies both morphological processing and syntactic processing as key areas that require attention. This commentary raises two issues: the relationship between the grammar and the…

A common problem in adult second-language learning, the disparity between child and adult second-language learning referred to as the Adult Language Learning Paradox, is examined within the Parallel Distributed Processing model framework. (24 references) (JL)

A test of a hypothesis about the availability of Universal Grammar principles to adult language learners involved testing predictions about acquisition patterns in Hebrew speakers learning English as a Second Language. Results supported the view that second-language acquisition is a process of parameter reassignment of principles that are indeed…

Relates a personal experience of teaching reading to an illiterate adult from Mexico. (HOD)

This review of research considers both the similarities and differences between adult learners and learners who are children, and applies the findings to second language instruction. First, similarities between children and adults have to do with involving as many senses as possible in learning, allowing for emotional involvement of learners,…

Demonstrates second-language acquisition (L2) is module and parameter sensitive. It is proposed that the acquisition of English by adult Japanese speakers is sensitive to the agreement parameter as well as the principle of structural government. (45 references) (GLR)

Research has indicated that the elderly retain the ability to learn, and specifically to learn new languages. Furthermore, the increasingly greater proportion of old people in the population demands that their need for continued intellectual stimulation be met. In the absence of explicit motives for learning an ethnic language, Esperanto is a good…

A review of research on the development of linguistic competence in second language learners looks at the role played by input to children in their development of linguistic competence, the nature of children's metalinguistic development, and the same processes in the naturalistic second language learning of adults, and then examines the role of a…

Responds to Major's (1996) and Ioup's (1996) criticism of this author's theory of language acquisition. The author agrees with both critics that abstract systems of phonology are acquired. He concludes that the proper study of language acquisition is to chart the course by which perceptual, motoric, and cognitive functions induce structure. (31…

Special problems of adult language learners aged 50 and older studying English as a second language include physical, social, and psychological factors. Physical factors related to aging include vision and hearing problems that adults may not be willing to admit to. Older adults may also be more sensitive to room temperature and lighting, and may…

A model for adult language learning is developed based on the postulates that language is semiotic, contextual, communicative, and cultural. Research in psycholinguistics has discovered that a cognitive and recognitional knowledge of language underlies and is greater than performative language. The move from the first level, the semantic base, to…

As a result of learning French in a situation in which only speech skills are necessary and reading and writing skills are not, Tunisians produce fixed, economical, and valid usage that is incorrect or unacceptable in relation to the norm. (MSE)