This article discusses an experiment designed to examine the relationship between the external explanations that learners give for their language behavior, and actual language performance. The subjects who were native and non-native speakers of English were tested on their use of definite articles. (CFM)

The attribution of function of various kinds to elements of child speech is discussed, and the question of the validity of the interpretations on which such attribution rests is explored with reference to Halliday's work on the development of meaning. (Author)

Notes that the socialization to which Korean children are subject from infancy to adolescence accounts for much of the difficulty which they face in dealing with basic American values. (Author)

This article argues that the main objective of education is competence in various areas and suggests novel-situation testing as an appropriate means of evaluation. (MM)

By presenting preliminary results of joint experiments conducted by speech pathologists and linguists, this article discusses the possibility of further neuropsycholinguistic research. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

The best assessment instrument is the one which tests the students on linguistic patterns and speech events familiar to the student; these instruments must be oriented to the speech communities to be tested. Validation of these materials must also take place within the target population. At the same time these testing materials must test both…

Addresses the difficulty of article acquisition by examining the perception of noun countability by native speakers of English and Japanese speakers of English, testing whether native and nonnative speakers have different perceptions of countability. Results suggest a possible link between the indefinite versus zero article suppliance by Japanese…

Studies on brains of individuals with an exceptional mental capacity are of widespread interest. Here, we analyze the cytoarchitecture of areas 44 and 45 (anatomical correlates of Broca's speech region) of a person with a documented extraordinary competence in language performance (Emil Krebs, E.K.), and compared it with 11 control brains.…

Shriberg "et al." [Shriberg, L. "et al." (2001). "Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 44," 1097-1115] described prosody-voice features of 30 high functioning speakers with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to age-matched control speakers. The present study reports additional information on the speakers with ASD, including…

A study examined the idea that linguistic competence and linguistic performance may be initially dependent on a substrate of imagery. The study explored the ways in which four student interviewees' talk indicated the visual processes of thinking. The prompt used was: describe some aspect of daily life at the age of 9 or 10. The study reviewed…

Examines the settings in which the migrant child communicates at home and at school, the speech patterns considered appropriate in each and the response of the child to each setting. The appearance of low verbal ability in the migrant child's classroom setting is explained. [Available from CAE, 1703 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.…

Discusses a system for evaluating student performance in the language laboratory, grading for comprehension and correctness, with four categories: complete, limited, severely limited, unsatisfactory. Evaluation of laboratory performance is more objective, being based on what has been taught and learned under stable conditions. (Text is in German.)…

A testing technique is reported for testing oral production which attempts to combine the advantages of the interview test and the standardized, discrete-point test and to improve standardization of tests of oral production. (RM)

Noam Chomsky's theory of grammar, or more specifically his theory of syntax, proposes to describe all possible English sentences through an explanation of how the native speaker generates sentences. It is the study of one's competence that offers insights into how language is acquired and how the rules and generalizations of that language are…

A study was conducted to examine some of the cognitive and linguistic factors that influence metaphor comprehension in young children. Presupposing that (1) the similarities between the topic and the vehicle in a metaphor comprise the metaphor's ground, (2) salience is the degree of prominence of a characteristic in relation to a concept, and (3)…