Studies of second language acquisition often employ analytical concepts defined relative to the target language. This practice can be a serious obstacle to investigation of crucial questions about the nature of the learners' languages. This comparative fallacy's drawbacks are illustrated through a framework designed to study interlanguage…

This paper examined the assessment of second-language proficiency in 157 research articles published in 5 language journals from 1988 through 1992, finding 4 major conventions for the assessment of language proficiency: (1) impressionistic judgment; (2) institutional status; (3) in-house measures; and (4) standardized test scores. (64 references)…

First language studies show boys superior to girls in listening vocabulary, though girls are otherwise superior in language ability. A second language study used two sets of Chinese college students (n=285 and 205). Ten tests for proficiency in English and two listening vocabulary tests (described in text) yielded similar results. (Author/LMO)