Usage patterns of the three most common Russian equivalents of the verb "use" are outlined with three types of criteria for judging usage: definitional, contextual, and stylistic considerations. Typical usage is discussed, and the issue of questionable acceptability is touched upon. (MSE)

Discusses a method of teaching French past tenses in which students are taught to choose the appropriate tense by learning to view the situation as a native speaker, instead of by trying to memorize and apply very specific grammar rules and all their exceptions. (EKN)

Suggests aids to the acquisition of some of the basic features that are sources of difficulty in Russian verbs. The proposals concern form rather than function and are derived from regularity, overall frequency, and actual occurrence in textbooks. (EKN)

Gives some examples of internal contradictions in the use of the Spanish subjunctive. Details these contradictions to show there is only a tenuous relationship between surface forms and semantic features and categories. (EKN)

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)

Discusses future-tense form possibilities in English and their pedagogical implications. Six possibilities are discussed: (1) the future tense proper, signalled by "if" + present or mental state verbs; (2) declaration of intent, with "I'll" or "we'll"; (3) "Shall I/we" questions; (4) "will you"…

Discusses the infrequently used Spanish future subjunctive ending "-re." (NCR)

Presents analyses of problems in translating the French structure "'etre' plus past participle" in English, German, and Spanish. (AM)

Elaborates on an earlier work that shows how the relaxation of certain grammatical constraints provides clues to variation in language usage. Demonstrates how style shifting may contribute to variation. (NCR)

Introduces the theory that the conversational historical present (CHP) in itself has no significance. It is the switching between CHP and the past tenses that is the relevant feature. (Author/CFM)

Examines tense, aspect, and voice choices in the reporting verbs in a corpus of research articles from the "Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine." Investigates how such choices correlate with other syntactic elements in the citations, as well as with the discourse functions of the citations in their contexts. (TB)

Proposes a model for explaining constraints imposed by predicates on selecting arguments appropriate for the predicates. The model has two components, a taxonomic representation of concepts and probabilistic formalization of selectional constraints defined in terms of that taxonomy. Describes four computational experiments testing the model's…

Presents a hybrid ACT-R model that shows U-shaped learning of the English past tense without direct feedback, changes in vocabulary, or unrealistically high rates of regular verbs. Illustrates that the model can learn the default rule, even if regular forms are infrequent. Shows that the model can explore the question of why there is a distinction…

Examines the theory of "natural semantic metalanguage," which argues that all languages share an irreducible core of universal semantic primitives with certain universal syntactic properties. Hypotheses on the universal syntax of semantic primitives are outlined. Topics include valency options and complementation possibilities of…