This study investigates factors that affect the accuracy of tone production by American students of Vietnamese as a second language (L2). Nine hypotheses are examined, each of which isolates a factor expected to affect production accuracy: (a) task type, (b) the position of a tone in a clause, (c) discourse distance between a model provided by a…

This study investigates whether advanced second language (L2) learners of a nonnull subject language (Dutch) are influenced by their null subject first language (L1) (Turkish) in their offline and online resolution of subject pronouns in L2 discourse. To tease apart potential L1 effects from possible general L2 processing effects, we also tested a…

Investigates whether native speakers of Korean learning English develop Knowledge of the holism effect in the English locative and knowledge of the narrow constraints. Results suggest that when given a ground-object structure, both learners and English native speakers preferentially chose a ground-holism picture. (Author/VWL)

Two experiments examine the effects of the native language on the second language acquisition argument structure. The linguistic focus is on agentive verbs of directed motion and change-of-state verbs in Spanish and English. Examined whether Spanish and Turkish learners of English undergeneralize the transitivity alternation with manner of motion…

Proposes a reinterpretation of the language bioprogram hypothesis to show how substrate influence and bioprogrammatic factors may all be invoked to account for various complementary aspects of creole genesis. A contextual and weighted interpretation of markedness shows the selective application of substrate influence in creolization and transfer…

Examines the relationship between second language proficiency and pausing patterns in the speech of 30 Russian speakers of English performing two oral tasks--a topic narrative and a cartoon description--in Russian and in English. Findings support the view that adherence to the target language pausing norms may lead to the perception of nonnative…

Verbal interactions in 15 Dutch classes with immigrant children were audiotaped during 5 types of activity: pupil-centered conversation, instructional exchange, children's group, small-group-with-teacher, and special second-language group. Several input and production features were analyzed. (57 references) (Author/LB)

Analyzed longitudinal data from 28-year-old Cambodian man who, despite instruction in English-as-Second-Language and residence in English-speaking community, used form "has" for both possessives (PO) and existentials (EX). Shared semantic properties of PO/EX, together with syntactic, pragmatic, perceptual characteristics of native…

Reports on a test of the validity of Pienemann's processability theory, which predicts that certain morphological and syntactic phenomena are acquired in a fixed sequence. Tests whether these phenomena appear in this predicted hierarchical order in Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian second language learners. (Author/VWL)

This study deals with the development and recoverability of word-final codas in Chinese-Swedish interlanguage. The relation between consonant deletion and vowel epenthesis is investigated from both a developmental perspective and a grammatical-functional one. Longitudinal, conversational data from three Chinese beginner learners of Swedish were…

Examines the interference of first language neutralization rules in the acquisition of a marked second language phonological feature. Presents results from a study of the acquisition of the voicing contrast in English word-final obstruents by native speakers of Catalan. (Author/VWL)

This experimental study on English, Spanish, and Turkish as second languages investigates the interaction of universal principles and first language knowledge in interlanguage grammars by focusing on verbs that participate in the causative/inchoative alternation. (Author/VWL)

The nativelike linguistic competence of an adult second-language learner of Egyptian Arabic who was first exposed to the target language after the close of the critical period is examined to determine what factors differentiate her from less successful naturalistic adult acquirers. The role of internalized grammar is discussed. (Contains 43…

Examines the sensitivity of second-language (L2) working memory (ability to store and process information simultaneously) to differences in reading skills among advanced L2 learners. Subjects with larger L2 working memory capacities scored higher on measures of L2 reading skills, but no correlation was found between reading and passive short-term…

Explores psycholinguistic processes underlying second language (L2) self-repair behavior by means of analyzing the timing of various types of self-corrections found in the speech of 30 Hungarian speakers of English at three proficiency levels. Discusses relevance of timing data for existing models of speech monitoring and examines how level of…