This paper examines several ways in which the morphological structure of words might enter their lexical representation or processing. It addresses possibilities such as representational economy, efficiency of processing, and module-external motivations. (55 references) (MDM)

The assumption that pragmatic probability facilitates the processing of lower linguistic levels is tested and disproved. Two experiments demonstrate that detection of acoustic properties that distinguish two speakers is harder in more pragmatically probable sentences and indicate that discourse- and sentence-level representations are functionally…

Proposes that a second-language acquisition research paradigm using Universal Grammar (1) did not consider the paradigm's theoretical and logical basis; (2) simplistically interpreted the parameter-setting paradigm; (3) and made false assumptions regarding statistical analysis methods and regarding the empirical facts of language processing. An…

Compares hypertext to an encyclopedia of nonsequential writing or collection of writings through which the reader is free to move in any sequence. Discusses the advantages and problems involved in hypermedia systems. (NH)

Compared responses of English-French bilinguals performing semantic categorization and lexical decision tasks using translation-priming stimuli. Using the same stimuli, priming effects were significantly stronger in semantic categorization than in lexical decision, suggesting the translation-priming effect in the former is mediated by semantic…

Examines crosslinguistic variation in "filler-gap dependencies" (wh-questions and relative clauses) from a processing perspective, and integrates research findings from psycholinguistics, language typology, and generative grammar. Numerous implicational universals and hierarchies are proposed that receive a natural explanation in terms…

Outlines the scenario-mapping and focus (SMF) account of text interpretation, which puts mapping of text onto knowledge in a key position with respect to processing. Reviews supporting evidence. Uses plural reference and nonlogical quantification as illustrations of problems that might be better understood within the SMF framework. (SR)

A review of research on reading in a second language (L2) looks at how theoretical perspectives in reading research differ and searches for bases for L2 instructional practice. It draws on two perspectives in first language research, one focusing on underlying reading ability and the other on the social context in which reading develops. (MSE)

In some psycholinguistic models, processing is characterized by generation of multiple outputs using information from higher processing levels. Such models are considered autonomous in word recognition domain but interactive in sentence processing domain. This confusion arises not from differences between lexical and syntactic processing, but from…

Five experiments support the argument that symmetry predication a is property of lexical items and has no special syntax; structural positioning of noun phrases in symmetricals-containing sentences sets their status as figure and ground or variant and referent, even for nonsensical nouns; and symmetrical predicate behavior varies as a function of…

The primary goal of connectionist research on language acquisition is to identify the nature of the mechanisms that support learning of phonological, semantic, and grammatical processes. A review of literature on language acquisition and connectionism looks at a range of assumptions, general approaches, and their implications. (MSE)

Three experiments investigated whether preschoolers attend to actions or object when learning a novel verb. Findings showed that children learning nouns in the context of novel, moving objects attended exclusively to appearances of objects. Children learning verbs attended equally to appearances and motions. With familiar objects, children…

Investigates effects longitudinally of phonological processing and oral language abilities on children's reading and reading disabilities. Compares second grade good and poor readers on measures of oral language and phonological processing taken in kindergarten. Suggests that language-based theories of reading and reading disabilities must include…

The nature of the association between language and stuttering in young children has been the focus of debate for many years. One aspect of this ongoing discussion is the status of language abilities in children who stutter (CWS). Available research findings and associated interpretations of these findings are equivocal. This article asserts that…

A number of recent studies have found that objects are named more slowly in the context of same-category items than in the context of items from various semantic categories. Several experiments reported here indicated that this semantic effect is relatively persistent because it was essentially unaffected by the presence of interspersed filler…