This paper makes observations on verb classification which are considered relevant to the understanding of Swahili syntax. Three different syntactically relevant approaches are discussed: (1) establishing a set of "basic sentence types" and then classifying verbs according to their occurrence or non-occurrence in sentences of these…

Sentences in a high school French I textbook were examined to determine the extent to which the writers controlled French syntactic surface structures in terms of their differences with English equivalents. Results show students were exposed to L1-L2 syntactic differences without explanation, and such sentences could cause future difficulties.…

The article shows that Russian syntax and word formation should receive more attention in language instruction, and suggests a functional approach as opposed to a taxonomic presentation in teaching syntax. Examples are given to show that the facts of underlying syntactic relationships should be incorporated into a teaching grammar. (CLK)

Explains Spanish pronominalization as one simple process, and notes its application the teaching and learning of Spanish. (CHK)

A pragmatic approach to the problem of teaching the uses of the definite article in English to students of English as a foreign language is presented. The discussion deals with--(1) the situational context as a determining factor for the definite article; (2) the role of the linguistic context; (3) the determining role of restrictive phrases and…

Proposes an approach to contrastive linguistics which takes into account syntax and semantics, and discusses the role of such an approach in explaining surface structure differences between English and Chinese sentences of the type: "He is a good pianist" and "I have a bad knee." (AM)

Part three of a continuing series on transformational generative grammar as it applies to Spanish. (DS)

Discusses two experiments designed to test the following hypothesis: translation which proceeds from surface structure to surface structure causes greater interference than delayed interpretation across languages that stores the ideas in deep memory and expresses them later in the target language. (Author/CFM)

Spanish verbs pose contextual problems for the non-native speaker in his use of the subjunctive, reflexives, and pronouns. The semantic range and syntactic contexts of many common verbs are usually treated and learned very unsystematically. One ordinarily seeks answers to contextual questions from a dictionary, but dictionaries do not provide…

This article consists of a practical semantic explanation of the embedding process in French and English, and outlines a methodology devised to facilitate the teaching of this process. (CLK)

Compares the theories of Chomsky and Fillmore. By representing "case" as a feature of lexical items, the deep/surface distinction can be eliminated, and the resulting "lexicase" framework looks promising as a basis for the design of language teaching materials. (Author/RM)