Some aspects of a general systems theory of second language acquisition are as follows: the system is greater than the sum of its parts; each component has a distinctive role in the overall operation of the system; some components may be entire systems themselves; the workings of the system proceed according to patterns, and rules for any given…

This paper examines how tagmemics can be equipped with a notational mechanism to account for significant variability phenomena in language. A brief history of variation theory is followed by a proposal for a tentative notational system for marking variants. An illustration of this system is provided through application to various levels of…

The so called "seven liberal arts" (grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music) basis of some colleges is criticized in this speech. It is noted that the Greeks had no knowledge of the seven liberal arts, which were also unknown to Romans during their era of domination. The liberal arts did not become seven until the…

The linguistic literature contains many studies of the structure of the noun phrase. Syntactic structures that occupy NP position but which don't have the internal characteristics of a substantive (infinitives and THAT clauses, for example) are distinguished from lexical structures that occupy NP position and do have the internal characteristics…

The essays in this volume have been collected to provide classroom teachers with materials from leading theorists in the United States and Great Britian which deals with the teaching of written composition in the elementary school (grades 1-8). These essays are presented in one of five categories: theories of written discourse and theories on the…

Spanish and English versions of a 38-item grammar test were administered to 40 Spanish-surnamed pupils equally divided by sex at grade levels K, 1, 3, and 5 (10 subjects per grade) in a bilingual education program. The test was a revision of part of an earlier test for oral proficiency in Spanish and English. The reliability of the new test was…

It is the contention of this paper that there are general principles which determine the choice of the form of the diminutive and that these principles can and should be included in a first-year college Spanish text. The paper begins with a critical analysis of the traditional rules for diminutive formation, followed by a review of the information…

This report presents an effective, integrated learning strategy program emphasizing a connection technique that uses paraphrasing. Components were derived from a review of the educational and psychological literature and from an analysis of responses to the learning strategy inventory, which were conducted during this same research effort. (See SO…

For those students who qualify, the Advance Program offers an opportunity to follow a stimulating curriculum designed for the academically talented. This guide for eleventh grade English focuses on the study of literature which concerns itself with the individual's attempt to maintain personal dignity in the struggles against universal…

Designed as a research tool for teachers of writing, this annotated bibliography describes texts and readers which pertain to college level English courses (with indications of those suitable for use in high schools). Each entry has been placed in one or more of the following categories: grammar and basic usage, composition, advanced composition…

The precise needs of the composition program at the University of California at Riverside prompted the experimental use of twelve grammar and syntax computer programs in a remedial English course. For this experiment, fifteen students, ranging in class level from a third-quarter freshman to a fourth-quarter senior, completed at least one program a…

It is important that we reflect on the conceptual framework from which our study of language has emerged, since the problems, methods, and aims of what has been called modern linguistics are rapidly being replaced by the concerns of another framework or paradigm. Such new paradigms, to be viable, must not be distorted by starting points that…

In this paper, non-standard types of agreement are examined. Such agreement types are those in which two or more supposedly agreeing categories show discord rather than concord. For example, if a language has noun-adjective agreement, there may, under limited circumstances, be non-standard agreement where the subject is plural and the agreeing…

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the process of coordination reduction in various languages and to propose a universal set of rules that will account for all types of coordination reduction. In a brief discussion of some of the more recent proposals on coordination reduction it will be shown that these proposals fail to account for the…

The purpose of this study was to carry out a longitudinal study of the direct effects of traditional and transformational English grammar on children's writing skills. The investigation was conducted entirely in one large, coeducational high school on the outskirts of Auckland, Australia, beginning with the third form and ending with the sixth…