Examines samples of writing by first-language speakers of Vietnamese to show that grounding, rather than lexical aspect, accounts for their selective marking of past tense. The article suggests that the learner-hypothesis governing this use of English past tense derives from the transference of a grounding-marking principle from a tense-free…

Focuses on theories concerning the origin of language. The article indicates that the language-origins theories most favored in contemporary science all have their roots in the intellectual preoccupations of the early scientists and philosophers of the European Enlightenment. The article concludes that the origin of language myth reveals itself as…

Discusses how computer-assisted language learning programs can generate error messages to help students in different ways. The article points out that an easier solution is to program a computer to recognize several different kinds of generic errors not related to any particular question but applicable to many situations, in order to generate…

Four French-language classroom activities are described, including some winning exercises in a French-language teachers' contest, a reading exercise on Brazil, an activity for practicing verb tenses, and the use of songs to teach difficult pronunciation to students. (MSE)

Speculates on what key trends, organizations, and ideas would appear in a future history of English language teaching in the 1980s and 1990s. The discussion touches on international migration and language learning, the impact of central and eastern Europe, cognitive style, translation, the role of linguistics in second language learning, lexical…

Reports on a small scale pilot project designed to elicit acceptability judgments regarding dative alternation in English studied as a second language. Preliminary results suggest that a thematic strategy may be one of a battery of learning strategies available to second-language learners. (40 references) (CK)

Production of complex sentences was studied in two men with agrammatic aphasia. The influence of training question production (wh)-movement structures on untrained wh-movement structures and on noun phrases (NP)-movement structures was investigated. Results indicate that movement to an argument position, as in NP-movement, is distinct from a…

Examines the traditional characterization of the process of verb formation in Sinhala (Singhalese) and the interaction between grammar components involved in the process. Compares this with a new approach, and presents an attempt at formulating derivation rules. The basic assumption is that a more integrated approach to the grammar yields a more…

Identifies lexical equivalents of semantic primitives "above, under, inside, on the side," as defined by Natural Semantic Metalanguage theory, in Longgu (Solomon Islands) and argues that the first three have both a semantically primitive rational sense and a secondary topological sense. Morphosyntactic issues are discussed, including…

Current methodologies of foreign language instruction have, for different reasons, proven to be lacking. This article makes a plea for computer-supported instruction that can efficiently take over purely cognitive and mechanical tasks (pronunciation and listening comprehension exercises, grammar and reading lessons). Difficulties that hinder…

Reviews the current state of Machine Translation (MT), i.e., computer systems attempting automatic natural language translation. Describes the experiences of teaching MT to modern language college students using a commercially available system and overviews the main features of the system. (Nine references) (Author/CK)

Shows how language processing is intimately tuned to input frequency. Examples are given of frequency effects in the processing of phonology, phonotactics, reading, spelling, lexis, morphosyntax, formulaic language, language comprehension, grammaticality, sentence production, and syntax. (Author/VWL)

Reports on a project in which an English and a French student teacher work collaboratively to develop their personal knowledge and understanding of grammar and its role in teaching both subjects to 11-year-old learners in an English comprehensive school. Ways in which the cross-language focus beneficially influenced their classroom practice are…

Discusses a study that took place in an intensive English program and focuses on an English-as-a-Second-language grammar course. Suggests that language learners benefit from Web-based materials but that they need ongoing training and technical support in using new and evolving resources. (Author/VWL)

Case study groups (n=106) were randomly assigned to face-to-face, chat, or group support systems conditions; half of each group received structural primers. Ditransitive structural frequency counts indicated that the primer significantly shifted learning style. Complexity was significantly greater in the group support system treatment. (14…