The emergence of Indigenous language revitalization seeks to address historical domination over Indigenous peoples and to recover the loss of ancestral languages as embedded in Indigenous knowledge systems. This paper draws from long-term linguistic ethnographic research on one of the Indigenous Ryukyuan languages: Yaeyaman. I highlight one…

Language instructors play a decisive role in adult language learners' learning and retention of vocabulary through planning, selection, and teaching of vocabulary and strategies. However, some professional language schools lack extensive teacher-training programs that prepare instructors with the skills required to select and teach vocabulary,…

Proposes an alternative analysis of Semai expressive reduplication that does not rely on prosodic templates to account for the shape of the reduplicant. The model proposed is called Compression and accounts for the shape of a reduplicant through the application of generalized alignment constraints. (Author/VWL)

Responds to an article that presents research (Kellerman & Yoshioka, 1999) on case drop in Japanese involving Dutch-speaking second language learners and claims there was no evidence their subjects had access to the Empty Category Principle (ECP). This claim is counter to those presented in Kanno (1996) and (1998). Reexamines Kellerman and…

Applies prototype theory to the question of how to understand the concept of polysyllabic morphemes in Chinese. Analysis reveals that, because there is considerable disagreement on whether particular examples are in fact members this category, the traditional view that membership is an either/or matter is not accurate. (39 references) (MDM)

This article addresses the debate on the causes of variability in production of second language functional morphology. It reports a study on article production by first language (L1) Serbian/second language (L2) English learners and compares their behaviour to that of a Turkish learner of English, reported in Goad and White (2004). In particular,…

A test of a hypothesis about the availability of Universal Grammar principles to adult language learners involved testing predictions about acquisition patterns in Hebrew speakers learning English as a Second Language. Results supported the view that second-language acquisition is a process of parameter reassignment of principles that are indeed…

Describes how Turkish and Morrocan adults acquire Dutch possessive clauses in which the verb "have" expresses the possessive relationship. The acquisition process is explained within the framework of recent generative theory on which "have-clauses are assumed to be popular locative constructions. (Author/VWL)

Proposes a reinterpretation of the language bioprogram hypothesis to show how substrate influence and bioprogrammatic factors may all be invoked to account for various complementary aspects of creole genesis. A contextual and weighted interpretation of markedness shows the selective application of substrate influence in creolization and transfer…

Looks at Europe-wide experiments on the role of Esperanto in facilitating language learning. (31 references) (Author)

Demonstrates that the acquisition of English reflexives by Chinese, Japanese, and Korean learners is not a valid test for parameter resetting in second-language learning, because English reflexives share the same setting as phrasal reflexives in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. (23 references) (MDM)

Verbal interactions in 15 Dutch classes with immigrant children were audiotaped during 5 types of activity: pupil-centered conversation, instructional exchange, children's group, small-group-with-teacher, and special second-language group. Several input and production features were analyzed. (57 references) (Author/LB)

Presents a demographic approach to the study of linguistic minorities, focusing on major analytical issues, particular data needs, and research possibilities. The approach's potential in the study of second-language acquisition, language maintenance, and shift pertaining to linguistic minorities is illustrated. (40 references) (Author/CB)

Verified the validity of the critical period hypothesis for the Slovak language. Recordings and short essays of native speakers of Slovak and nonnative bilinguals were evaluated by native Slovak judges. Studied critical period hypothesis for language and speech, relationships between age and education of judges, and correct identification scores.…

Reports on a test of the validity of Pienemann's processability theory, which predicts that certain morphological and syntactic phenomena are acquired in a fixed sequence. Tests whether these phenomena appear in this predicted hierarchical order in Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian second language learners. (Author/VWL)