Examines the inferencing procedures used by university-level second language (L2) learners of French to guess at the meaning of unfamiliar words in a written L2 text. The article combines qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and compares the strategies used by students assessed as high or low in French proficiency relative to their…

Focuses on the efficacy of computer use for learning Kanji characters and improving Japanese vocabulary levels, with reference to software designed to improve Kanji learning in a self-access learning mode. Findings reveal that all the students in an Australian university using the computer to learn Kanji increased their grades and that those most…

Studies the effect of vocabulary glossing on reading comprehension in second-language learning. Findings reveal that there was a significant effect for glossing but no significant interactions between the treatment and any of the other variables, i.e., psychological type, tolerance of ambiguity, proficiency, frequency of gloss use, perceived value…

Analyzes how three university teachers of English as a Second Language answered student' requests for help in understanding unknown vocabulary items during lessons mediated via a task-based, small group methodology. Notes that teachers tended to answer learners' referential questions with display questions of their own. (68 references) (Author/CK)

A study involving 356 twin pairs with early language delay found environmental influences shared by both twins were more substantial than genetic factors. Heritability was significantly higher in those with persisting difficulties but only when assessed in terms of parental concern at 3 years or professional involvement at 4 years. (Contains…

A study investigated whether differences in working memory could account for variance in word recognition and receptive vocabulary skills of children (ages 5-16) using oral communication (n=32) and total communication (n=29). A contribution from working memory was observed only for the span tasks that incorporated an auditory processing component.…

Suggests titles and learning activities to promote the use of children's books in the elementary school classroom. Language arts topics addressed include language skills; vocabulary enrichment; distinguishing between reality and fantasy; the concept of point of view; poetry; creative writing; and reading. (six references) (LRW)

Two instructional treatments to increase oral reading and reading comprehension were evaluated with 5 Hispanic students (ages 11 and 12) with speech and language impairments. For all students, preliminary discussion of key words was more effective than listening to the story prior to reading but not more effective than the combined treatment.…

To study lexical knowledge relevant for school success, 40 monolingual Dutch and 40 bilingual Turkish 9 and 11-year olds were asked to explain the meanings of common Dutch nouns in an extended word definition task. Compared to the monolingual Dutch children, the bilingual Turkish children allotted less extensive and varied meanings to Dutch words.…

The acquisition of English vocabulary and syntax was compared over three years for three matched groups of profoundly hearing impaired students using either cochlear implants, tactile aids, or hearing aids. All children received auditory-oral instruction. The cochlear implant group exhibited faster acquisition of all language and communication…

Examines children's variation in rate, style, and sequence of grammatical development, within and across natural languages. Using a sample of English and Italian infants, concludes that while there are structural differences between English and Italian that could affect the order in which nouns and verbs are acquired, no differences were observed…

Students at the U.S. Air Force Academy participated in a study of Chinese language skill acquisition. Findings included more rapid and accurate character recognition was associated with higher proficiency; printed frequency had the greatest effect upon accuracy of naming; character density correlated with recognition accuracy; and denser…

Offers six teaching activities suggested by teachers: addressing vocabulary development; punctuation awareness; building background knowledge for English literature; a system for notetaking; a month-long unit on African folktales; and an Alzheimer patient's response to children's literature. (SR)

Four ideas for French language instruction are presented, including an exploration of cultural and linguistic meaning in advertising; use of the Minitel database and computer capabilities; interpersonal communication games; and a vocabulary development and comprehension activity using text from a French weekly publication. (MSE)

Fifty-two severely handicapped children (ages 3-12) were trained on communication skills using microprocessor technology. Positive effects were found for the additional computer language training, especially on the specific vocabulary taught, a cluster of general language measures, and teacher and parent measures of social interaction skills. (DB)