Discusses the use of cognitive explanations in attempting to account for linguistic regularities in language acquisition. Theories are discussed concerning first and second language acquisition. The developmental theory of Piaget is outlined along with its application to the cognitive theories of language acquisition. (PJM)

Six tentative conclusions about the role of extrinsic feedback in interlanguage fossilization are presented and discussed in light of hypotheses made by Virgil and Oller regarding this phenomenon. Extrinsic factors are those characteristics of the learner which are oriented toward the environment and which act as the interface between the learner…

A cybernetic model of factors involved in the fossilization of grammatical and lexical forms in learner grammars is offered. A distinction is made between affective and cognitive dimensions of a multidimensional channel of human communication; and the effect of expected and unexpected feedback on these two dimensions is discussed. (Author/POP)

Proposes a means by which inflectional paradigms can be promoted from their present status as references at the end of textbooks to a more central role in the language learning process. Suggests a computer setting can enhance this process. (Author/VWL)

A review of the acquisition of second-language phonology focuses on the following areas: (1) the various factors that have been found to influence the acquisition process, and (2) a discussion of topics in the phonological description of the learner language. (46 references) (GLR)

Reviews the literature on general learning strategies as they pertain to the UG (universal grammar)- or non-UG debate and the second-language acquisition process and discusses this literature in the context of the literature on learning strategies from psychological research. (Author/JL)

Responds to claims regarding second-language acquisition (SLA) research. The claims refer to the existence of multiple theories in SLA research, relativism in the field and acceptability and testing of findings. The article argues that SLA is a process of exploration and speculation rather than one of discovery and proof and suggests that SLA is…

Difficulty in the early stages of second language listening is sometimes said to derive from too heavy a reliance upon bottom-up information. Less experienced listeners supposedly focus so much attention upon identifying sounds and words that they have no time or mental capacity left for building higher-level units of meaning. However, there is…

One of the genuine contributions of theoretical linguistics to the interdisciplinary field of applied linguistics is to elucidate the nature of "what should be taught" and "how it should be taught". Traditionally, the input supplied in vocabulary teaching has consisted either of word lists (most often) or of words-in-context…

This study explores the way in which bilingual children of primary school age who have become dominant in English are learning to be literate in the language of the home using dual language books provided by the school. It reports on how the mothers and their children used both texts to transfer skills from one language to another; to negotiate…

Studies investigating cultural influences on second-language writing have been mainly product-oriented. Moreover, research on writing processes has mostly focused on the strategies of writing and learning to write. Writing processes where we can see the evolution of the writer's identity and beliefs have been less adequately addressed. Therefore,…

Article defined the threshold-level as the lowest level of general foreign-language ability to be recognized in the unit/credit system. It further attempted to answer the question of what the learner will need to do in a foreign language through an analysis of verbal behavior as a communicative activity. (Author/RK)

Explicit classroom correction of the second language learner's errors is unnecessary, because errors are indications of the learner's current hypothesis, which may not necessarily match the target rule, or they may indicate that no hypothesis has yet been formulated by the learner. Explicit correction may be harmful because students can be pushed…