This study investigated second language learners' processing of ambiguous words (e.g., "bank": [1] a financial institution, [2] an edge of a river/lake) and whether these learners are able to activate the secondary meaning as quickly as they do with the dominant meaning. English L2 and L1 participants used a window paradigm to perform a…

The effects of song and elaboration were assessed on the acquisition and retention of lexical items by beginner learners of Italian. Lexical acquisition investigated through an incidental learning experiment based on the premise that growth in L2 vocabulary can be facilitated by subvocal rehearsal and elaborate processing of lexical items.…

Research investigating L2 (second language) willingness to communicate (WTC) has gained ground in the past two decades. Added to that is the emergence of complex dynamic systems theory (CDST) with a focus on the phenomenon of change, the implications of which for WTC research have opened up new avenues to enhance our conceptualization of the…

This study used quantitative analyses complemented by the retrospective data obtained through a stimulated recall procedure to address three interrelated issues: (a) whether second language learners use online planning opportunities to carefully plan their speech to enhance the quality of the language they produce, (b) what kinds of self-repair…

There is mounting evidence that phonological memory (PM), a sub-component of working memory, is closely related to various aspects of second language (L2) learning in a variety of populations, suggesting that PM may be an essential cognitive mechanism underlying successful L2 acquisition. This article provides a brief critical review of the role…

This article presents a series of studies focusing on L2 production and processing of adjective-noun collocations (e.g., "social services"). In Study 1, 810 adjective-noun collocations were extracted from 31 essays written by Russian learners of English. About half of these collocations appeared frequently in the British National Corpus (BNC);…

Discusses the superiority of information processing (IP) theory to stimulus-response theory, specifically in terms of language comprehension, language production, and the role of memory. (KM)

Drawing on research on memory and on the effectiveness of pairing first-language dialogue with second-language script, and through analysis of the language processing occurring in the translation process, it is argued that translation may be an effective technique for second language instruction. (12 references) (MSE)

A discussion of language curriculum design for promoting learner autonomy looks at the objectives of such a curriculum, the learning implied by those objectives, and the function and relevance of the learnings. (Author/MSE)

It is proposed that negotiation of form can be effective in language immersion instruction. Students are pushed to produce ever more accurate and appropriate utterances, drawing on their own sociolinguistic resources. Examples are provided from an eighth-grade classroom where the teacher uses feedback, questioning, discussion, and…

A systematic analysis of the French interrogative focuses on the distinction between the syntactic processes (identification of question words, interrogative phrase preposing, and rules of question formation) and phonological processes (intonation patterns) that characterize questions in French. (Author/MSE)

Proposes that heritage language education research findings in Canada fall within three interpretive frames, involving (1) interdependence, which posits that languages complement each other; (2) narrativity, which suggests that there is a narrative structure to the developing mind; and (3) cognitive enhancement, which posits that language and…

A type of acculturation occurs in developing countries that hinders English language learning because English is the linguistic vehicle of technological and sociological influences, and culture conflicts increase when the learners arrive in English-speaking environments different from their expectations. Suggestions are given for alleviating these…

In response to a published study of second-language input processing and processing instruction, a relatively new concept in language teaching, misinterpretations of theoretical and conceptual issues are pointed out and methodological concerns about the study are discussed. (MSE)

Suggests that written-oral dictation is an efficient way to simulatenously process a number of language codes, and that the multi-sensory presentation and processing of English language codes during one school year helped lead to their acquisition by groups learning English as a foreign language. (EKN)