This study looked at the period when language development overlaps the early years of reading, to see how children read and comprehend complex syntactic structures. Thirty-six second, third, and fourth graders, who were considered average readers, were tested in the first experiment using a reading test to determine comprehension of individual…

This paper discusses the use of compliance tests and evaluation tests in two experiments dealing with specific questions of acceptability in English syntax. The experiments, conducted in 1970 at the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, involved undergraduate students in their third or fourth years. The compliance tests, which are operation oriented…

A new theory of sign structure is proposed which explains the syntactic, semantic and pragmatic classification of signs. The theory comprises in part a language capable of relating studies of information processes across a range of disciplines, including communication science psychology, computer science, and linguistics. The power and utility of…

Explores the Indian, African, and American influences on the lexicon, phonology, orthography, morphology, and syntax of Brazilian Portuguese. (AM)

Seeks to formulate a definition of imperativity based on extralinguistic rather than formal notions. (TL)

A model of natural language generation based on an underlying language-free representation of meaning is described. A computer implementation of this model, called BABEL, has been developed at Stanford University. It is able to produce sentence paraphrases which demonstrate understanding with respect to a given context. Available from Association…

The syntax of the relative clause in the Saraswat Brahmin dialect of Konkani, an Indo-Aryan language, has been Dravidianized because of the impact of the Dravidian Kannada language, operating through bilingual speakers. The Konkani-Kannada bilingual situation is described and an explanatory account of the syntactic change is given. (Author/CLK)

Defines the causative construction semantically and describes various syntactic constructions that answer the definition. Intentional and unintentional causative constructions are distinguished. The semantic content of all intentional causative constructions is analyzed. (Author/RM)

Discusses failings of the more common rules on German word order placement, then considers in detail a recent study on the subject by Ulrich Engel. (Text is in German.) (DH)

The assumption that the active/passive relation is structural in nature and therefore best expressed by a transformation is debated. The relation can be captured in the lexicon without a passive transformation. An interpretive rule is proposed to handle the problem. Passives are shown as generated by phrase structure rules. (SC)

In Mixtec there are six motion verbs that are active and function as main and auxiliary verbs and directional modifiers. There are four verbs of arrival and they function as main and auxiliary verbs. These are based on the same root and meaning. The author outlines the pattern of inflection and explains momentary verbs. (SC)