Describes two studies of word meaning acquisition among children. Concludes that (1) even very young children can learn new words and their meanings on basis of linguistic expressions and in absence of direct experience with referents, and (2) that particular forms of discourse (e.g., narrative and dialogue) can render new meanings more accessible…

Forty students aged 9-18 were asked to explain the meanings of lexically ambiguous advertisements from magazines, newspapers, and brochures. Older subjects explained the meanings correctly more frequently than younger subjects. The psychological meanings of the ads were found to be more difficult to explain than the physical meanings. (Author/JDD)

Examines the range of conditional sentences which appear in English in contrast to the restricted selection of conditionals usually presented to foreign students. Sample exercises for identifying types of conditionals and determining appropriate conditional structures are provided. (Author/LMO)

A shortened version of Zaichkowsky's 20-item Personal Involvement Inventory was created, removing four items which might be difficult to understand for noncollege-educated populations. The 16-item modified version had acceptable internal consistency; test-retest reliability; and factorial and predictive validity. (Author/GDC)

Discusses the subtle changes of meaning evoked by different sentence positions of "hace"-clauses. Analyzes the semantics of "hace" + TIME sentences which are the equivalent of English "ago." A presentation suitable for the beginning learner, using "since" + TIME as the English translation of the "hace"-clause followed by "que" is suggested.…

Suggests that children learn to distinguish between similar words when the words are first taught separately, then compared. Offers a vocabulary remediation technique and shows how three groups responded to some variations. (JC)

Asserts that teachers should help students move beyond an information-exchange view of reading to a more complex rhetorical model of constructing meaning. Reports on a study which investigated meaning constructions and compares the more traditional function/feature strategies of constructing meaning with rhetorical strategies, which construct…

Applies general pragmatic principles to interpretations of noun phrase gaps. Argues that this approach reduces or eliminates the need for a grammatical explanation for anaphora, such as the one provided by Government and Binding theory. Examples are given from Guugu Yimidhirr, an Australian aboriginal language, and English. (Author/LMO)

Argues that language learning may be fostered by research into certain types of learner errors. Outlines related styles of analysis in applied linguistics and examines semantic errors made by Arabic speakers studying English. Shows how the practice of transferring meanings from one language to another can be made a more useful strategy. (KH)

Analysis of the use of the connective "but" by 3- to 9-year-olds indicated that all most commonly used the word to signal semantic relationships and for pragmatic functions. Younger children most frequently used "but" when causal or precausal relationships existed, and older children used "but" more to encode complex contrast. (Author/CB)

Three- and four-year-old children were asked to perform a judgement task in which they chose between incorrect English transitives and intransitives and their correct adult equivalents. Purely semantic or syntactic models fail to explain the findings as well as does a model based on semantic/syntactic transitivity. (SED)

Concludes that semantic maps do not work alone, but must be built in class during discussion of vocabulary. Shows that discussion alone works well for most students. (FL)

Compares the vocabulary learning effectiveness of the mnemonic keyword method and two semantic-based approaches (semantic mapping and contextual analysis). Concludes, among other things, that the keyword method is superior to the other two strategies with respect to students' ability to recall word definitions. (FL)

Results of a study of two methods of morpheme quantification--one by suppliance in obligatory contexts, the other by target-like use--produced substantially different percentages of accuracy for subjects' production of the morphemes progressive "-ing," progressive auxiliary, and past irregular. This demonstrates that, as a consequence of applying…

Describes a study that explores whether less fluent non-native listeners attend more to syntactic than to semantic cues by testing three groups: native English-speakers and advanced and intermediate non-natives. Results show that semantically acceptable responses increased progressively for intermediate, advanced, and native groups, while…