A study investigated the effect of foreign accent and speaking rate on native English speaker comprehension. Three native Chinese speakers and one native speaker of American English read passages at different speaking rates. Comprehension scores showed that an increase in speaking rate and heavily accented English decreased listener comprehension.…

This paper summarizes some of the findings from a project in progress that researches teachers' sociolinguistic awareness in Wales. Some interesting differences between labels and scales data are considered, and issues of importance to language awareness are highlighted. (VWL)

Presents a description of auxiliary and aspectual marker verbs in African American English. Discussion focuses on patterns of the auxiliary system as a whole, highlights the generalization that speakers of the dialect make when they use the system, describes how the language system is rule-governed, and presents some meaning differences between…

In investigating the degree to which minority languages are not recognized as separate languages by the majority culture, it is helpful to consider the distinction between abstand and ausbau languages. The distinction is also helpful in understanding other political and cultural problems concerning language versus dialect status in Europe. (five…

This report discusses the results of a questionnaire designed to determine how multilingual speakers in the Singapore context express their social identities through language; how they relate to their languages; and how they perceive the various English accents to which they are exposed. (34 references) (VWL)

Examines the question of the distinctive nature of communication in Australia. Discusses nonverbal messages, gender concerns, historical influences on communication, the Australian accent, communication with indigenous persons, communication apprehension, and classroom communication. Argues that Australians' communication is relatively similar to…

A review of previous analyses of the syntax of Fuzhou Tone Sandhi precedes the exploration of grammatical relations and the application of phrase-level tone sandhi rules, concluding that modifiers, but not arguments, preceding the head can undergo tone sandhi, as can heads preceding arguments, but not modifiers. (18 references) (Author/CB)

Reviews two books, "American Earlier Black English," by Edgar W. Schneider, and "The Death of Black English," by Ronald Butters, that capture the essence of the renewed controversy on the reemergence of the historical issue and a new dispute over the current development of Vernacular Black English. (36 references) (JL)

Presents an analysis of the two passive (or passive-like) constructions in Singapore English which exhibit substrate influence from Malay and Chinese. The paper shows that while substrate languages contribute to the grammar of Singapore English, the continued prestige of standard English exerts normative pressure and mitigates the effect of…

Proposes that the bei-construction, a Mandarin Chinese passive construction, is not derived uniformly, but rather, three types of bei-sentences must be recognized. Presents basic facts about bei-construction; shows consistent structural differences between bei-sentences with and without the lexical logical subject, discussing A-dependency and…

Demonstrates that two Tungusic languages, Evenki and Oroqen, that have long been treated as a single language for classification purposes, are better treated as distinct linguistic varieties. Fundamental questions are raised about the current classification of Tungusic languages and a renewed examination is suggested of the role of dialect…

Identifies the major issues that need to be confronted in resolving the controversy over the historical roots of African American Vernacular English. and discusses their implications for reconstruction. (Author/VWL)

Spanish Sign Language (SSL) is now the second most used sign language. This article introduces resources for the study of SSL, including three SSL dictionaries--two from Argentina and one from Puerto Rico. Differences in SSL between and within the two countries are noted. Implications for deaf educators in North America are drawn. (Author/DB)

Suggests that Ebonics has been mediated in ways that clearly reveal American racial politics, which remain hostile to African Americans, describing the dominant strategies used to mediate Ebonics and locating those media strategies within the cultural context of racist circumstances, the racist political history of African Americans, and African…

Analyzes instances of syllabic consonants in New Mexico Spanish as the interaction of universal aspects of vocalic feature geometry, discussing a dialect-specific characteristic which allows resonants to absorb the feature (vocalic) when the remaining features of a vowel have been reassigned to neighboring segments, and, equipped both with a mora…