A study analyzed development of French aspectual markers in 39 college students of French as a second language and 30 native French-speaking students. Results indicate classroom instruction may increase the rate at which learners develop this knowledge, and that lack of access to second-language discursive-pragmatic conditions may prevent learning…

Examines the problem posed for French second-language learners by the irregular dropping of French final consonants, examining the rules presented in textbooks and comparing them with findings of various linguistic surveys conducted in France and Canada. Differences observed between theory and reality lead to practical advice for French teachers.…

Addresses concerns and issues regarding modern language teaching and learning at primary schools in Greece, Italy, Spain, and England. It focuses on the optimal age for learning and acquiring languages and to the educational reforms which have been undertaken in each country relating to early modern language teaching and learning and…

A study analyzed the syllable structure of Canadian French as perceived by native (L1) and second-language (L2) speakers using forced-choice lexical division. Results indicate that although L2 learners acquire L2 syllable structures, their perception of syllable division is influenced by L1 structures, and L2-learners' syllable division approaches…

Investigates English-as-a-foreign-language learner use of high frequency verbs and particular use of the verb, "make." Examines whether learners tend to overuse or underuse these verbs, whether high-frequency verbs are error-prone or safe, and what part transfer plays in misuse of these verbs. Authentic speaker data is compared with native speaker…

Examines the effect of test method on the reading performance of two levels of early-stage second-language (L2) readers of French. The study compares two global response modes, the summary and the recall protocol. Results indicate a significant qualitative difference in the performance on the two tasks. The summaries contained significantly more…

Longitudinally compared the production of syllable shapes in 10-minute spontaneous speech samples of 20 children with expressive specific language impairment (SLI-E) and 15 typically developing (TD) peers from 24 to 36 months of age. Results are discussed. (Author/VWL)

Analyzes results obtained at GCSE by students involved in a joint languages diversification scheme in which they studied two languages in parallel for three years. Comparisons are made across languages, with other subjects, and with results achieved by the previous year group, which entered before diversification. Findings reveal various issues…

Compares advantages and disadvantages of most types of modern dictionaries from teachers' and researchers' as well as students' points of view. Shows that if clear distinctions are made between learning, test-taking, reading for pleasure, or extensive reading, each type dictionary can be used by itself or in combination with another dictionary,…

Focuses on acquisition of functional categories in the French determiner phrase. Development of determiners and prenominal adjectives in three bilingual Swedish-French children is compared with that of Swedish second language learners of French. Argues that acquisition is crucially different in these two cases. Bilingual children initially have…

This paper addresses the theme of the special issue by looking at the development of student autonomy in learning in the French programme at the University of the West Indies St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. The paper explains why a focus on autonomy is apt to meet both the programme's linguistic goals and its larger societal goal of preparing…

In this paper, multicultural primary school classes in Norway and the Netherlands are compared in terms of language teaching and learning. Drawing on observations, interviews, and school and policy documents, four dimensions of comparison are discussed. First, we deal with the different ways in which separate language classes for language minority…

This study compares 2 measures of reading comprehension: (a) the Woodcock-Johnson Passage Comprehension test, a standard in reading research, and (b) the Diagnostic Assessment of Reading Comprehension (DARC), an innovative measure. Data from 192 Grade 3 Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) were used to fit a series of latent variable…

This paper reports the results of a study comparing the interactional dynamics of face-to-face and on-line peer-tutoring in writing by university students in Hong Kong. Transcripts of face-to-face tutoring sessions, as well as logs of on-line sessions conducted by the same peer-tutors, were coded for speech functions using a system based on…

The use of a complex battery of reading strategies has been found to be obligatory for those English as a Second Language (ESL) students desirous of a high level of English language literacy and success in US academic institutions. Even though we know of the importance of reading strategies, little research exists on whether or not ESL males and…