To become a native speaker, beyond obligatory rules, children need to learn systematic variation in the language, as it is present at all levels of language structure and is an integral part of linguistic knowledge. To give an example in English, speakers sometimes pronounce words ending in -ing with -in' (e.g., working vs. workin') depending on…

Research supported by the Ford Foundation and the American Association of University Women. (DD)

Presents evidence for the idea that when morphemes are borrowed from a socially dominant language into a pidgin, and extended in usage as in a creole, the major factor determining the direction of such extension is the linguistic background of the speakers of languages other than the dominant one. (Author/CLK)

The seven papers in this volume cover varied topics in the field of current linguistics. The first paper, on underlying phonological representations, is written to show that, on the basis of syllabification, vowel quality is a redundant aspect of English phonology and that stress assignment can also be based on syllabification. The second paper…

Foreign influences in the Russian language leading to linguistic change through loanword borrowing, loan translation, and loan shifts are explored in this article. Related concepts of the processes described are often accompanied by comparative word lists. Comment on the evolution of the Russian language begins with the Proto-Slavic period and is…

The English spoken by second generation Puerto Ricans in Harlem is influenced by black English heard in the surrounding community, standard English used in the school, and the Spanish-influenced English used by the first generation Puerto Rican community. The study of these influences is conducted according to recently developed sociolinguistic…