Although cross-linguistic influence at the level of morphosyntax is one of the most intensively studied topics in child bilingualism, the circumstances under which it occurs remain unclear. In this meta-analysis, we measured the effect size of cross-linguistic influence and systematically assessed its predictors in 750 simultaneous and early…

Cross-linguistic transfer embodies language learners' use of linguistic knowledge of their first language to leverage the learning of a second language. The cross-linguisitc transfer between Chinese and English has been studied by scholars from different disciplines. However, variances and inconsistencies exist among prior studies regarding the…

Introductory comments to a special journal issue on communicative accommodation provide a framework within which the accompanying articles can be examined. Terminology and field methods are described for this frontier area of sociolinguistic study and more sociolinguistic analysis is advocated. (50 references) (LB)

Proposes a reinterpretation of the language bioprogram hypothesis to show how substrate influence and bioprogrammatic factors may all be invoked to account for various complementary aspects of creole genesis. A contextual and weighted interpretation of markedness shows the selective application of substrate influence in creolization and transfer…

The applicability of transferability principles to language contact in the British Isles, especially Ireland, is shown with a detailed discussion of absolute constructions, structures with interesting relations between syntax and discourse, and with susceptibility to cross-linguistic influence. Evidence for transferability of absolutes in…

Synthesizes work on research concerned with the influence of a second language on speaker's first language competence in late bilingualism. Research in the areas of phonology, morphosyntax, lexis, semantics, pragmatics, rhetoric, and conceptual representations suggests that borrowing, convergence, shift, restructuring, and loss result from the…

The growing secularization of Israeli lifestyle and the increasing influence of foreign languages as manifested in the local media have given rise to new forms of language secularization. This article discusses and provides examples of the secularization of Hebrew, which has split modern Hebrew into two varieties--religious and secularized. (13…

Focuses on English dictionaries and their development in second-language-learning contexts, taking the perspective that standards are usually codified in reference grammars, pronouncing dictionaries, and word dictionaries. Presents contemporary discussions of "English" and "Englishes" in Asia, a phenomenon that has come about…

Re-examines research literature supporting the idea that infants and young children simultaneously learning two languages mix elements from the two languages. It is argued that, contrary to most extant interpretations, bilingual children develop differentiated language systems from the beginning and are able to use their developing languages in…

Certain concepts of redundancy at the phonological level are mistaken or misapplied. Three "fallacies" ("string of beads," vowel redundancy, and single error) of the nature of redundancy are explored. Although learners should be sensitized to other varieties of English, teachers should also provide a model of pronunciation that conforms to a…

Recent sociolinguistic research is used to show that the American Sign Language (ASL)-English contact situation does not result in the emergence of a pidgin as supposed. Variation along the ASL-English continuum can be accounted for by interplay of foreigner talk, judgments of proficiency, and learners' attempts to master the target language.…

Describes historical and current usage of Indo-Portuguese creoles in the Indian areas of Diu, Daman, and Korlai, examining such extralinguistic forces propelling language transition as social, cultural, developmental, and situational factors, and the nature of lexical and structural borrowing. (48 references) (CB)

Analysis of the phonological influence of English on Yoruba found such influences as violation of phonotactic constraints, assimilation of English sounds with those of Yoruba sounds, irregular phoneme correspondences, and resistance to new syllable types. (19 references) (Author/CB)

Explores attitudes toward, and usage and roles of, Portuguese among colonized African countries, particularly in terms of African literature. It is concluded that most Lusophone African writers have surpassed their dependency on Portuguese by using and changing it according to their own political sovereignty and cultural autonomy. (19 references)…

Examines such universal linguistic phenomena as simplification, overgeneralization, transfer, analysis, and convergence, and their corresponding theories regarding creolization, language acquisition, and language loss. A study of the Spanish verb system of Los Angeles bilinguals indicates that the continuous influx of new Spanish-speaking…