It has been claimed that error analysis (EA) has two broad aims and two levels of application: pedagogical (relevant to syllabus design and second language teaching) and psycholinguistic (relevant to language learning studies). At the moment, EA's pedagogical claims are stronger than its psycholinguistic ones. In its early days, EA defined its…

Progress that has been made in second language research in the last two years and future directions in the research methodology of second language studies are discussed. In order to examine the continuation and expansion of current research, the research reported by Schumann (1976) is compared with current research as represented by the titles of…

Children learn a second language quickly and easily simply by being exposed to it. Adults generally learn more slowly and less well. It is hypothesized that the brain in youth is extremely plastic, but hardens with adolescence and adulthood and becomes less receptive. Children learn in an active way, during play, and the language is reinforced by…

This paper discusses bilingualism from the point of view of language universals, including Fillmore's case grammar, McCawley's "anywhere rules" for lexical insertions and Slobin's operating principles in first language acquisition. It is assumed that first and second language learning is essentially the same, regardless of age. Whereas…

This paper considers the processes involved as children and adults learn a new language. For the child this can mean learning his native language. One difference between learning a language in a classroom and in a "live" situation is motivation toward communication. The child learning his mother tongue is highly motivated to communicate, as are…

The effects of elaboration instructions and imagery characteristics of verbal material on learning of Malay--English word pairs were investigated, as well as the moderating effects of individual differences. Results reflect aptitude X treatment interactions and the importance of individual differences in planning instructional methods. (Author/JAC)

A discussion of the effect of an immersion program on the majority language child. Research is reviewed on the "threshold hypothesis" and "the developmental interdependence hypothesis." Recent studies of the cognitive and academic effects of bilingualism are critically examined in the light of these hypotheses. A bibliography…

Hypotheses concerning second language learning and foreign language learning in general are described, and the role of listening comprehension in the development of language skills is discussed. (CLK)

In order to derive the greatest benefit from French texts, instruction should be in three phases: Discovering the text and collecting information; sorting and practicing language items; integrating old and new vocabulary and language. Examples of discussion and test questions relating to certain texts are included. (CHK)

Describes how behavioral and cognitive psychologies regarding language learning can be synthesized in the teaching of written composition to students learning English as a second language. (MM)

Two experiments are reported in which mismatched sounds and spelling were studied in Dutch pseudo-words used as stimuli in English lexical decision experiments. Results show mismatches in spelling or sound result in longer latencies for Dutch pseudo-words than for their nonword controls, supporting a cooperation model of lexical access. (MSE)

A group of adult intensive English students, language teachers, and graduate music education students were taught a 300-word German vocabulary list in a five-week period, some with and some without Baroque music but with superlearning techniques, and some by traditional techniques. Accelerated learning by superlearning methods could not be…

Elucidates the psycholinguistic mechanics of the "output hypothesis" and argues that output serves an important role in second language acquisition because it generates specific input the cognitive system needs to build up a coherent set of knowledge. The article hypothesizes that the locus of the effect of output is in the transition of…

Presents a literature review seeking to answer four questions: (1) What is washback? (2) How does washback work? (3) How can we promote positive washback? and (4) How can we investigate washback? A model is proposed that identifies participants, processes and products which may influence or be influenced by, washback. Strategies for investigating…