We study the learnability problem concerning the dative alternations in English (Baker, 1979; Pinker, 1989). We consider how first language learners productively apply the double-object and to-dative constructions ("give the book to library"/"give the library the book"), while excluding negative exceptions ("donate the…

That "will" and "shall" are modal, not temporal, verbs is shown by their syntactic similarity to the modals and by the fact that they follow the same transformational rules as the modals. This example demonstrates the usefulness of transformational grammar in explaining grammatical relationships to students. (Text is in…

Attempts a sketchy classification of English causative verbs, using various linguistic theories but primarily that of generative grammar. (Text is in French.) (AM)

Dissatisfaction with the standard transformational grammar approach to teaching passive voice sentences gave rise to the method developed. It is based on the framework of a lexical-functional grammar, which claims that both active and passive sentences are base-generated, and that both active and passive verb forms occur in the lexicon. It would…

The following aspects of syntax in Indian English are examined: complex sentence formation, interrogative transformation, verb forms, and complementation. It is argued that a set of syntactic rules exists in all non-native second language varieties of English that will generate the non-stylistic deviant patterns discussed. (KM)

The notes and articles in the present compilation constitute, for the most part, reports of work in progress by the Language Research Foundation staff, and are circulated to interested scholars for the purpose of inviting comments, criticism, and suggestions. Contents include: (1) "The Export of TESOL: Are Audio-lingual Techniques Universally…

Shows the limitations of current foreign language teaching methods, particularly the audiolingual one. Unites certain findings of psycholinguistics, cognitive psychology and transformational grammar to construct a language teaching model. Examples of English verbs and nominals being taught to French children illustrate the…

The divisions in transformational grammar into surface and deep structure give rise to the hypothesis that imitative-repetitive drills will never go beyond the surface structure, and that an explicit verbalization of underlying structures will result in better achievement and proficiency in second language learning. The Project described here,…

The appearance of English auxiliaries in the speech of five native speakers of Spanish is described, as well as these subjects' acquisition of the negative and interrogative transformations. (Author/RM)

This volume consists of 86 structured, patterned drills based upon rules which reflect the competence of native speakers to pronominalize, nominalize, delete, and otherwise transform English sentences in the context of other English sentences. These drills are designed to be used in English courses for foreign students and for speakers of…

Data from responses to a grammaticality judgement test by 26 learners of English as a second language at two proficiency levels were used to investigate syntactic acquisition. Four syntactic structures were examined. Results suggest that less proficient subjects use syntactic strategies, while more proficient learners use semantic-based…

The research reported in this paper is concerned with three questions. Are the processes of language development complete by the time children begin school? What is the order of the emergence of control of grammatical rules? And is that order similar for first and second language learners? The data used in the analysis come from a project centered…