Discusses the use of "ever" in affirmative responses to Yes/No type questions as well as in declarative sentences in discourse in colloquial Singaporean English. Examines parallels in Singaporean English use of "ever" with its equivalents in the local languages. While parallels can be seen in Mandarin Hokkein, Cantonese, and…

A cross-dialectal comprehension test was conducted at Ohio University and three of its branch campuses. Results indicated that vowel changes occurring in Southern Ohio were generally interpreted by respondents in terms of their own vowel systems, and that limited exposure to the local dialect by outsiders led to recognition only of the more…

Attempts to resolve an outstanding question as to the most appropriate structural description of the relationship between subject and verb in Bislama (a Melanesian creole spoken in Vanuatu), discusses what the implications of this analysis might be for a Creole ontogeny, and attempts to unify this analysis to the verb system with the distribution…

Cross-speaker variability in the use of prosodic features in intonation was investigated through analysis of adult speakers of English from London, England, using a new prosodic test battery (PEPS). PEPS is designed to elicit information about how speakers use prosodic features to realize different types of linguistic and communicative functions…

Investigates the redundantly marked comparative "worser" in relation to its irregular, but etymologically justified, counterpart, "worse." Examines the diachronic development of the form as well as its distribution in the written language of the 16th and 17th centuries. (Author/VWL)

Focuses on the worldliness of the English language, yet suggests hat English is not a universal language. Argues that English is the major medium of modern communication due to its ability to be open to new thoughts, ideas, and concepts. Discusses the role of English in the world with specific attention to English instruction throughout the world.…

Responds to the two main issues addressed by authors of two previous articles: the notion of near-native speaker and that of linguistic purism. (Author/VWL)

Comparison of Old Spanish and present-day Spanish data provides evidence that reductive change in grammaticizing forms may be manifested not only as a diachronic process but also as a synchronic difference between formal and informal registers. (Author/VWL)

Focuses on the directionality observed in the processes of change and acquisition of the prepositions that replaced Latin cases in the speech of Rio de Janeiro and in the contact Portuguese spoken by Brazilian Indians in the region of Xingu. (Author/VWL)

Discusses the centuries-old dispute in Quebec about whether the French spoken there is good or bad. The issue has a stake in public discourse between socially-valued and socially-stigmatized varieties of language. (Author/VWL)

Reconstructs the present temporal reference system of Early African American English by investigating the aspectual conditioning of a morphosyntactic construction within the domain of present temporal reference in three representative varieties. (Author/VWL)

Reviews recent research on crosslinguistic variation. Suggests that lexical systems are as notable for their differences as they are for their similarities. (Author/VWL)

Examined how acoustic variation affects second language (L2) lexical acquisition in consideration of four hypotheses: degraded input, elaborate processing, independent modulation, and robust versus strong connectivity. Beginners of L2 Spanish attempted to learn 24 Spanish words presented in 1 of 3 degrees of acoustic variation. Immediate and…

Colloquial Indonesian has two pronouns for addressing friends of a similar age or younger persons, namely "kamu" and "elu" (or its variants, "lu," "elo," and "lo"). This article examines variation in the use of these terms by two pairs of teenagers involved in romantic relationships. Based on data from contemporary fictional narratives, it…

This article traces a decline in CCCC sessions on language along with a shift toward more reductive definitions. It analyzes early CCCC treatment of language issues, the Students' Right document, changes in demographics and linguistics, and shifts within English departments that have left us overdue for professional reexamination of our role as…