This study hypothesizes that negation and finiteness are linked in the development of foreign language acquisition in comparable ways to their development in first language acquisition. By contrasting synchronic intrapersonal variability data with change occurring in the diachronic data about negation, this article shows how adult learners of…

Argues that a Universal Grammar (UG)-based analysis for the three stages of NEG-placement is not only possible, but in fact provides independent support for UG-based analyses of the developmental sequence found in first-language Romance language and second-language German verb placement. (41 references) (GLR)

The distribution and form of negatives in Japanese as compared to English in the simple declarative sentence, in the interrogative sentence, in different speech styles, in indefinite negatives, and in complex sentences. (SC)

Discusses the semantics and structure of sentence adverbs, with particular reference to negation of the declarative sentence. "Nicht" is found to be not properly reckoned with sentence adverbs. By means of examples, suggestions are given about teaching foreigners the use of German adverbs. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Describes a research project carried out in Sweden to study the acquisition of Swedish syntax of negation by adult second language learners. (CFM)

Discusses various utterance types calling for "nicht" in German, and suitable exercises for teaching them. It is felt that one should use particularly the receptive-reproductive/receptive-productive sequence. The negation of a sentence in the perfect tense is used for illustration. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

This paper presents a comparative study of English and Vietnamese syntax. Four basic patterns are said to make up the majority of English sentences: statements (both affirmative and negative), questions (both affirmative and negative), requests, and commands. The composition of each English pattern is discussed with examples, and compared directly…

This report discusses a study of a Norwegian six-year-old child's acquisition of English syntax in a second language environment. Interrogative and negative sentences which require periphrasis with "do" are the forms considered in the analysis. Although the formal aim of the study is limited to an effort at discovering more about developmental…

The purpose of this project was to make a preliminary investigation of the processes of second language acquisition by children, adolescents and adults, and to develop a methodology appropriate to the study of second language learning. In the development of the methodology, applicable techniques from first language acquisition research were…

Compares the acquisition of the syntax of negation in first-language development and second-language acquisition, particularly the acquisition of colloquial French and German by native speakers of Spanish. The comparison is intended to shed light on the principles and mechanisms underlying first- and second-language development. (67 references)…

The language development processes of decreolization and second language acquisition are compared. The decreolization of Guyanese creole negation and the acquisition of the English negative by an adult Spanish speaker are described. Each process is seen as a series of internal changes on a continuum of developmental stages which bring speakers…

The sixth volume of this series contains eight contrastive studies in the syntax and semantics of English and Romanian. They are: "Criteria for the Contrastive Analysis of English Nouns," by Andrei Bantas; "Adjectives as Noun Modifiers in Post-Verbal Position," by Ioana Poenaru; "Towards a Semantic Description of 'Tense'…

This collection includes twenty-one papers, a book review, and a bibliography of English-Polish contrastive studies in Poland, and is the fifth volume resulting from the Polish-English Contrastive Project. The overall purpose of the project is to prepare a Polish-English contrastive grammar and to develop pedagogical materials. Topics covered in…

Analyzes the results of a 1975 study of a 12-year-old Spanish speaker with regard to his acquisition of negation in English. The hypothesis of formulating/testing second language learning is reaffirmed with an alternate explanation of variation in syntactic forms. Results show that free variation is functionally determined. (LMO)