This study aims to describe in detail the linguistic skills of a large group of SLI participants. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of age-related effects on their linguistic performance and to whether a linguistic assessment of a narrative task can capture language impairments that might not be adequately pointed out by standardized…

This article presents findings from a year-long study of how intermediate second language (L2) learners of German (English first language) used case markings, word order, and semantic information when comprehending individual German sentences. The results showed that the learners relied on word order and semantic information, but did not…

The author gives reasons as to why a child's speech may seem to deteriorate after a change of schools, Speech is infinitely adaptive; and the child learns early how to use different styles for different situations. The child, however, may not be aware of this ability. (Author/MS)

Similarity between component speech sounds influences language processing in numerous ways. Explanation and detailed prediction of linguistic performance consequently requires an understanding of these basic similarities. The research reported in this paper contrasts two broad classes of approach to the issue of phoneme similarity-theoretically…

The Agent-action-Objective (AaO) axiom and the theory of rotational dynamics constitute the frame of reference for the study of the metaphor as instrument for the direct perception of events. The major hypothesis of this frame of reference refers to the event structure embedded in the ground of a metaphor. Since the ground is implicit in the…

The author reviews tri-ad language models and suggests that they are not sufficient in describing language use. He introduces a six component language model adopted from the model originally intended for persuasive oratory. (MS)

This paper discusses the growth of the field of psycholinguistics, what its practitioners have discovered concerning first language acquisition and the implications of these new theories and discoveries for the teaching of English. The author contends that in (English) language instruction, teachers have failed to consider what the child already…

Background: Impairments in language and communication are core features of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The basis for this association is poorly understood. How early language is related to each of the triad of impairments characteristic of ASDs is also in need of clarification. Aims: This is the first study that aims to determine the extent…

The Gricean Maxim of Quantity is believed to govern linguistic performance. Speakers are assumed to provide as much information as required for referent identification and no more, and listeners are believed to expect unambiguous but concise descriptions. In three experiments we examined the extent to which naive participants are sensitive to the…

The present paper looks at the growing population of Russian heritage speakers from a linguistic and psycholinguistic perspective. The study attempts to clarify further the notion of heritage language by comparing the linguistic performance of heritage speakers with that of monolinguals and second language learners. The amount of exposure to…

Informed by Conversation Analysis, this paper examines discursive practices through which nonnative speaker (NNS) identity is constituted in relation to native speaker (NS) identity in naturally occurring English conversations. Drawing on studies of social interaction that view identity as intrinsically a social, dialogic, negotiable entity, I…

Twenty-eight subjects were presented with computer generated grammatically deviant strings and asked to carry out two tasks on each of two experimental days. Task 1 was a forced-choice experiment in which 50 pairs of strings were presented aurally to each subject and he had to select that member of the pair which he felt was the best approximation…

This study was designed to assess some of the differences in the information about the speaker which is communicated by conversational" and dynamic" styles of nonverbal vocalic communication. The experiment and results are discussed by the authors. (Author/MS)

This paper reports on a study on the relationship between cognitive task complexity and linguistic performance in L2 writing. In the study, two models proposed to explain the influence of cognitive task complexity on linguistic performance in L2 are tested and compared: Skehan and Foster's Limited Attentional Capacity Model (Skehan, 1998; Skehan…

Attempts to answer the questions "why study Saussure?" and "how?" through an historical analysis of Saussure's work, based on the "langue/parole" distinction. (AM)