Offers four activities ("Friendship Concentration," the "Rubberband Journal," a "Cube of Friendship," and the "Electronic Journal"), which give students opportunity to communicate visually and in written form. (MG)

Investigations of Japanese speakers' interlanguage constructions of English existential sentences with a locative sentential topic found a general shift from topic-comment to subject-predicate structures as proficiency increased. (24 references) (Author/CB)

A classroom approach that brings oral and written language learning closer together is outlined. The strategy focuses on proper pronunciation using minimal pairs and uses exercises designed for listening and visualization, production, discrimination, re-use and reinforcement, and computer-assisted instruction. (MSE)

This paper considers the application of the techniques and results of genre analysis to courses for learners aiming to use English in professional settings. An argument is made for an educational, or process, approach to the teaching of genres. (Contains 16 references.) (JL)

Compares English-text reading speeds and oral-reading quality ratings of American university students to three groups of adult Asian English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) college students in America. Finds that, at least concerning Chinese or Korean, differences in EFL word reading were associated less with type of first-language orthography than…

This article reviews the literature on spelling development in alphabetic scripts. It describes how once children begin to learn that the function of alphabetic writing is to represent the sounds of language, they go through the process of learning sound-spelling correspondence in increasingly fine detail, from syllables to phonemes. (Contains…

Investigates differences between college students' reading and listening processes in conjunction with variation in oral-based or literate-based language style. Finds that: listening required less cognitive effort than reading, irrespective of language style; listeners and readers alike best comprehended oral-based discourse; and that reading was…

Reports research using eye-tracking methods to investigate how native Japanese speakers read kanji script. Focus is on the relationship between phonology in reading kanji and the spatial ability of the reader. Findings suggest, that regardless of the reader's spatial orientation, phonological coding is an important factor in understanding kanji.…

Studied the linguistic competence in the written language of deaf children and adults and the linguistic development in children and adolescents with Williams Syndrome. Presents qualitative data on spoken and written Italian from cross-sectional and longitudinal studies conducted over the last 10 years. Studying these two different populations can…

Tests widely-held associations among script types, genres, writers, and target readers via statistical analysis in popular Japanese fiction. Subjects texts to lexical analysis to see whether choice of vocabulary can account for variability in script selection. Finds that Japanese writers fashion their script type choices to specific contexts, as…

Introduces theme issue on Piagetian constructivist perspective on children's understanding. Summarizes feature articles which argue that teaching should be based on Piaget's theory; and elucidate the development of social and moral understanding, perspective-taking, play, written language, friendship and popularity, and mathematics. Emphasizes the…

Highlights how language of journalists and academics to describe children's experiences reflects and influences the position and rights accorded to children in the English-speaking world. Contends that children's low status is perpetuated through "textual abuse" in academic literature on children's rights. Maintains that children are…

A survey was conducted on the language practices of 58 engineering personnel working on the Witwatersand in South Africa. Found that a high standard of English is crucial for professionals in a field with a policy of "English only" at management and inter-departmental levels and in written communication. (Author/VWL)

Examines the socio-pragmatic construction and textualization of scholarly Acknowledgements in English and Italian journals from a genre-analytic perspective. Points of difference or similarity between corpora and academic cultures are explored with special attention to such issues as generic complexity and staging, personal involvement, and peer…

Analyzes published student written legal research papers that can serve as a model for the teaching of seminar paper writing. Focuses on the introductory sections, and shows how they are both similar and different from those found in research article introductions as described in Swales (1990). (Author/VWL)