Monolingual dictionaries have serious disadvantages in many language teaching situations; bilingual dictionaries are potentially more efficient and more motivating sources of information for language learners. (Author/CB)

Argues that the process of recording newly encountered vocabulary items in a typical language learning situation can be improved through a computerized system of vocabulary storage based on database management software that improves the discovery and recording of meaning, subsequent retrieval of items for productive use, and memory retention.…

Monolingual children were assigned to two groups to examine the role of reinforcement in language acquisition. One group was differentially reinforced for use of foreign vocabulary. The other group was first reinforced nondifferentially for use of either native or foreign language and later differentially reinforced for foreign language use. (PCB)

Spanish modal verbs may express necessity, obligation, probability, and possibility, in either their personal or impersonal modes. Analysis is based on examples of contemporary Madrid speech. Four modals, "poder,""deber (de)," tener que," and "haber que," are placed within a tripartite structure defined by…

Describes a study designed to test assumptions, held by opponents of multilingual election ballots, about language acquisition and acculturation, particularly regarding Chinese immigrants. Data revealed that most immigrants understand the importance of learning English, but second language acquisition is especially difficult for some. Offers…

A study reveals that lexical borrowing in Spanish, from a variety of languages including Latin, French, Italian, Greek, Arabic, Provencal, and Catalan, accounts for 41 percent of the basic Spanish vocabulary, with variation in source according to historical period. (MSE)

A group of English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers share tips on how to incorporate the latest ESL techniques into teaching strategies to reinforce what children are learning in ESL and to enrich school for all students. (MT)

Describes a study which examined the relationship between learner chatacteristics and achievement in French as a second language. Results indicate that subjects who have more schooling, a higher degree of nonverbal reasoning ability, and make greater use of French outside the classroom are more likely to benefit from formal language instruction.…

For a growing number of test translations, there is a need for equating that provides scores that can be used interchangeably for both source- and target-language forms, but basic equating requirements cannot usually be met in the cross-lingual case. The situation is more problematic in verbal tests, where translation has more impact on item…

L2'' designates second language study. Classifies motives for language study in Great Britain as literary, social, and commercial; suggests that the emphasis on each falls into distinct historical periods. (DS)

Exact analysis of an experiment involving children from the ages of 4 to 12 learning three new articulations revealed that most of the articulation learning took place on the second attempt with relatively moderate improvement in subsequent trials, thus placing the value of repetition in articulation learning in question. (FB)

Envisages the environment as that which surrounds, conditions, opposes, and allows one to understand, identify, and attain a series of objectives. The relationship of this understanding of environment to second language learning is explored, with particular emphasis on recent methodologies that see language as a culture's mode of expression. (AMH)