A tension exists between rationalists and empiricists regarding the nature of knowledge: innate then activated/discovered (rationalists) or constructed then invented (empiricists). The assumption is that, to a certain extent, basic knowledge seems to be innate in our mind and develops through experience by thinking processes to construct meanings.…

This study demonstrates how native and learner corpora can enhance modal verb treatment in English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) textbooks used in mainland China. Data analysis compares modal verbs in the textbook and native corpus by referring to distributional features, semantic functions and co-occurring constructions; and the analysis of the…

Second language acquisition research on the immersion context has focused primarily on study abroad, revealing the extent to which that context promotes learners' developing linguistic and intercultural competence. However, little research has examined linguistic development in intensive, domestic immersion contexts. This study investigated the…

Describes and advocates a different approach to teaching the Russian verbal system based on determination of a "full or basic stem" for each verb. Relates verb conjugation system and morphological classification of verbs to basic stem. (Text is in Russian.) (DH)

Arguing that slot-cards teach the structure of the verb and the grammatical message each slot carries while reducing the number of forms to be learned, the author describes a technique for teaching the tense modes of the present indicative, the present subjunctive, and the perfect indicative in French. A working model of the verb stems "aimer" and…

A discussion of a semantic approach to teaching these particles. The meaning of -zhe can be best characterized as "incompleteness.' Another characteristic of -zhe in a simple sentence is to change an action verb into a stative one. -Ne in conjunction with -zhe mitigates the incompleteness represented by -zhe. (Author/AMH)

To help students learn the imperfect and perfect aspects of Russian verbs, principles of math and physics can be utilized. This Orbit-Trajectory-Stasis method presents verbs of motion by avoiding tense, and suggests new verbal configurations for exploring both conceptual and concrete aspects. Appendices further illustrate the approach. (PMJ)

The methodology reported in this paper argues for a synthesis of various theories and methods. First, a synopsis is given of the pedagogical and linguistic approaches that should underlie a successful attempt to teach the contrast in two verb tenses in Portuguese. Secondly, a contrast unique to Portuguese is examined and a multistage approach for…

The evolution of one-stem verb theory since Roman Jakobson's 1948 study of Russian conjugation is outlined, and adaptations of his one-stem conjugation methodology for current classroom use are discussed and compared. (MSE)

In this five- to ten-hour presentation, intermediate and advanced students of Russian learn how prefixation affects all types of motion in terms of displacement, transitivity, and perfectivity. The features of the prefix are detailed. Throughout, changes in government (subject, object, and prepositional complements) are explained in relation to…

This new method of teaching verbs of motion in Russian is posited on the assumption that the unidirectional-multidirectional distinction in unprefixed verb forms is also present in prefixed forms. This distinction may be used to explain the derivation of these verbs. Suggestions for using the method are included. (PMJ)

The use of case frames of verbs as a control for the teaching of vocabulary items has a number of distinct advantages over other controls. The case frame associated with a particular vocabulary item, or with a particular semantic class, would be the same in the native and the target language (English). This would have the advantage of allowing the…

Presents contrasting views on the sequencing of verbal-complement structures. The first article has been reviewed by the editorial panel and accepted for publication; the second is a commissioned response, to which the author of the original author is invited to reply. (Author/VWL)

The present study investigated the effects of intensive recasting on second language learners' use of the Japanese aspectual form -te i-(ru) using a time-series design. Four college classroom learners participated in 8 conversational sessions, with the researcher providing recasts during the middle 4 sessions, and 2 of the learners also…

The linguistic complexity of grammatical structures depends on their usage. Such complexity must be purposefully controlled by the teacher of English as a second language. Examples of shortcomings in the presentation of various structures in current textbooks illustrate this point. (PMJ)