Taking into account the peculiarities of the Georgian language and integrating them into the teaching process remains an important task. Georgian is an agglutinative language, which means the existence of grammatical markers in word-forms related to certain semantic features. The system of the Georgian verb is unique in that it is based on…

Linguistic complexity serves as an important measure of second language (L2) writing development. Complexity indices, however, rarely feature in the studies of learner languages other than English. Additionally, L2 writing studies have been criticized for the lack of consistency in defining proficiency. The current study addresses these gaps by…

A lexicon for Tuvaluan, a Polynesian language spoken in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, contains two parts, a lexicon and a word finder. The lexicon has a traditional format, in which Tuvaluan words are listed alphabetically and defined in English, and in which all additional information on structure, usage, and dialect can be found. The second…

This reference grammar is written for speakers of English who are learning Swahili. Because many language learners are not familiar with the grammatical terminology, this book explains the basic terminology and concepts of English grammar that are necessary for understanding the grammar of Swahili. It assumes no formal knowledge of English grammar…

Investigates whether native speakers of Korean learning English develop Knowledge of the holism effect in the English locative and knowledge of the narrow constraints. Results suggest that when given a ground-object structure, both learners and English native speakers preferentially chose a ground-holism picture. (Author/VWL)

Two experiments examine the effects of the native language on the second language acquisition argument structure. The linguistic focus is on agentive verbs of directed motion and change-of-state verbs in Spanish and English. Examined whether Spanish and Turkish learners of English undergeneralize the transitivity alternation with manner of motion…

This textbook provides an accessible reference grammar of the Dutch language for English-speaking students of Dutch to help consolidate their knowledge through practical exercises on a whole range of grammatical topics. It is intended both for beginners and intermediate level students. Advanced learners of Dutch wishing to review particular…

Reports on a test of the validity of Pienemann's processability theory, which predicts that certain morphological and syntactic phenomena are acquired in a fixed sequence. Tests whether these phenomena appear in this predicted hierarchical order in Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian second language learners. (Author/VWL)

Considers the evolving pedagogical dilemma surrounding the teaching of "New French" and discusses the various options foreign-language teachers will eventually have to choose among when teaching French. (CB)

This book deals with the Central Siberian Yupik Eskimo language as spoken on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, an island near the Bering Strait and on the tip of the Asian mainland opposite Russia. This book has been used with college-level classes composed of a mixture of Yupik speakers and well-prepared non-speakers (people who have studied other,…

Discusses Tone sandhi, the tone changes undergone by tone-bearing syllables in juxtaposition, in several Chinese dialects. The tone group is examined as a syntatico-semantic unit in Fuzhou and Mandarin and as a syntactic boundary-marker in Shanghai and Xiamen. The theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed. (20 references) (JL)

The following articles are presented in the section of the Northeast Conference Report on less frequently taught languages: (1) "American Sign Language," by M. Conwell and A. Nelson; (2) "Chinese," by D. Gidman; (3) "Japanese," by J. P. Berwald and T. Phipps; (4) "Latin," by M. Cleary; (5) "Portuguese," by R. Pedro Carvalho; and (6) "Russian," by…

This book is a comparative study of the syntax of Arabic dialects based on natural language data recorded in Morocco, Egypt, Syria, and Kuwait. These four dialect regions are distinct and geographically diverse and representative of four distinct dialect groups. The analytical approach of the book is both functional and descriptive, combining…

Investigates whether Spanish- and Turkish-speaking learners of English discover the semantic and syntactic constraints on the causative/inchoative alternation in the absence of overt morphological clues. Results of a picture judgment task show that second language learners do discover these properties and that overall verbs appear to cluster in…

Describes the Thai Learning System, which is designed to help learners acquire the Thai word order system. The system facilitates the lessons on the Web using HyperText Markup Language and Perl programming, which interfaces with natural language processing by means of Prolog. (Author/VWL)