The current study investigated how the processing of triple cognates (words sharing form and meaning across three languages) is modulated by the semantic bias of sentence context in a reading task. In the study, Polish-German-English trilinguals read English sentences while their eye movements were monitored. The sentences were either semantically…

Although English and German are both Germanic languages, due to various historical changes, many of their cognates are no longer easily recognizable. This study examined whether knowledge of language history can be beneficial to learners when learning English-German cognates. Thirty-five English-speaking second language (L2) learners of…

This article reports on the findings of an empirical study that relates translation studies and research on language acquisition/attrition by looking at the interpretation of overt pronominal subjects, previously found to be problematic in both domains. The focus is on the resolution of intra-sentential anaphora and cataphora in Italian by two…

Conference interpreters form a special case of language users because the simultaneous interpretation practice requires very specific lexical processing. Word comprehension and production in respective languages is performed under strict time constraints and requires constant activation of the involved languages. The present experiment aimed at…

English sentences containing the universal quantifiers "each", "every", and "all" are highly complex structures in view of the subtleties of their scope properties and resulting ambiguities. This study explored the acquisition of universal quantifier sentences as reflected in the performance of three diverse college-level student groups on a…

The semantics and syntax of English comparative structures ("as...as") are re-examined. It is argued that traditional reference grammars have misrepresented comparisons as expressing a notion of equality, and an alternative analysis of the semantic relation between "-er than" and "as...as" is proposed. (Author/MSE)

Examines the different meanings of the term discourse, comparing the common use of discourse analysis in applied linguistics with its use both in critical discourse analysis and in a Foucauldian use of the term. An attempt is made to show how these different approaches imply profoundly different understandings of the relationship between language,…

The first part of a larger planned investigation, this study examines the use of "por" and "para" by nine Peace Corps volunteers in oral interviews at the end of training and roughly one year later, to trace their acquisition over time, in two learning contexts. (24 references) (LB)

Four papers address trends and issues in Hispanic linguistics. "Recent Trends in Hispanic Linguistics" (Frank Nuessel) gives an overview of benchmarks in research on diachronic, sociolinguistic, and applied aspects of Spanish phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. "African Influence on Hispanic Dialects" (John Lipski)…

This book is intended for use in a course on linguistics for students who, having had some introduction to the field, wish to consider the ways in which linguistic theory can be applied to the practical matter of contrasting languages. The intention is to present some of the contemporary themes of linguistics to advanced students who eventually…

This booklet forms a part of the Hungarian-English Contrastive Linguistics Project which is concerned with investigating the differences and similarities between these two languages with implications for second language acquisition. The papers here deal with the Hungarian writing system. Initial remarks concern the relationship between script and…