Investigates the structure of information in all sections of the medical research paper. Findings identify an eleven-move schema, out of which nine were found to be "normally required" and two "optional." Each schema was found to embody "constituent elements" and to be characterized by distinct linguistic features. (36 references) (Author/CK)

Argues that, from a transformational-generative perspective, errors in writing mechanics (such as run-on sentences, comma splices, and errors in subject-verb agreement) persist because writing instructors do not exploit students' language ability. Describes how transformational grammar is useful in correcting errors in sentence mechanics. (MM)

An examination of the logic of second language processing argues that knowledge of language structure does not necessarily result in effective language comprehension. Teachers must help students to bridge the gap between translation, which emphasizes lexical and syntactic meaning, and interpretation, which involves global comprehension. (CB)

Discusses a study of the expressive qualities of oral language. Results suggest that there is a natural rather than an arbitrary relationship between words and their meanings. Practical applications of this theory of phonetic symbolism in the area of commercial advertising are presented. (CFM)

Describes an approach to genre analysis that aims to complement existing descriptions of genres by focusing on semantic relationships between structural elements in texts. The article presents the theoretical background to the approach and then describes an example of its application within the context of the language-learning classroom. (45…

Possibilities and limitations of a natural language processing technology, with its central engine, the parser, are discussed. Observations are drawn from a project by the U.S. Army Research Institute to develop a German tutor, the BRIDGE, which revolves around a parser. (Contains 19 references.) (Author/LB)

Presents a monoclausal, multipredicate analysis of Japanese causatives, adopting the fundamentals of Relational Grammar. Two classes of causatives, distinguished by the matrix subject's agentivity, exist. The surface case marking of the causee is constrained by its relationship to the matrix subject with respect to a set of Proto-Agent…

A framework is formulated to explain the context and content sensitivity involved in the meaning of utterances of sentences containing a modal auxiliary. It is argued that the English language is based in a relatively simple, well-structured semantic system, yet it is used on a highly complex world of communication. (Contains 39 references.) (LB)

Identifies problems and proposes solutions for encoding verse texts in Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). Discusses formal properties that distinguish verse from prose. Recommends that metrical and rhyme conventions always be tagged at the highest possible level of text divisions. (CFR)

Provides an analysis of the syntax of Straits Salish. Main clauses consist of an initial predicate followed by a second position clitic string of inflectional elements, the subject pronoun and tense. Evidence is provided against copular verb analysis as further proof of the lack of the noun/verb distinction at the lexical level. (52 references)…

The prediction that young Chinese- and English-speaking children should exhibit parallel performance in their use of null arguments was investigated using an elicited production task. The hypothesis that early English allows null subjects was upheld; the argument that early English is a discourse-oriented language like Chinese was not upheld. (26…

The effect of five types of topical structure (including initial sentence element, mood subject, and surface subject) on the item difficulty of reading comprehension questions was investigated. Results indicated differences in the item difficulty of questions according to the type of topical structure on which the questions were based. (21…

Discusses suffix stripping algorithms used in information retrieval to cluster words derived from a common root under the same stem, and proposes a suffixing algorithm for French which uses grammatical categories to enhance the stemming process. An evaluation of the algorithm is discussed, and an analysis of errors is described. (17 references)…

A multidimensional approach analyzes the linguistic characteristics of 26 Somali spoken and written registers. Somali represents a different language type, and no single dimension adequately describes the relations among registers. Findings are related to previous analyses of English, Tuvaluan, and Korean. (27 references) (Author/LB)

It is argued that anglicisms in Canadian French cover a much broader spectrum than in any European variety of French, with traits of the English language incorporated into spelling, pronunciation, morphology, syntax, lexicon, and phraseology. A typology of these features is proposed, with examples. (Author/MSE)