Uses W. Kintsch's Construction Integration model as a framework to explore the effects of preexisting attitudes on memory for texts. Shows that preexisting attitudes interacted with attitude texts over delay although not in a direct or expected fashion. Emphasizes the need to manipulate representational levels of attitude texts and to consider…

Proposes the subsuming theory criterion for experiments on common ground in mutual knowledge (i.e., the design must keep common information constant and only vary whether or not it is common). Demonstrates how doing so makes stronger claims. Illustrates how experiments can be designed to satisfy the criterion by evaluating some earlier studies…

Provides a technical analysis of the factors involved in the ability of latent semantic analysis to assess student knowledge (grading essays and matching students with appropriate instructional texts). Addresses the role of technical vocabulary, how long the student essays should be, and how one deals with the directionality of knowledge in the…

Explores the kind of hypotheses English-speaking children between 3 and 6 years of age constructed and how these hypotheses compared to those found in children who speak other languages. Considers children's use of the syllabic and alphabetic principles; gives credence to the fact that the appearance of the syllabic hypothesis may be universal.…

Second-language scholars have suggested that Krashen's construct of "i +1" is similar to Vygotsky's zone of proximal development and that it might therefore be feasible to integrate the two constructs in way that would be productive for second-language acquisition (SLA) research. Article argues that this is futile, not only because…

Second language researchers have been studying passive unaccusative errors such as "What was happened?," but have not reached a consensus about the ultimate cause of this unique interlanguage structure. This article reviews five major accounts proposed in he literature. (Author/VWL)

Criticizes the naturalist argument underlying current propositions bearing on second language (L2) learning in natural or formal contexts. Contests Piaget's interpretation of "Didacta Magna," shows how Krashen's acquisition/learning hypothesis follows from the two brain theory and certain naturalist suppositions, and proposes language learning…

Presents recent investigations in idiomatic language processing, and advances new foci of research from the comprehension and interpretation of phrasal idioms. Concludes that the development of idiomatic competence can be enhanced by establishing the parameters of the comprehension and interpretation process of second language phrasal idioms.…

Focuses on foreign language research on learner strategies. Outlines the different types of strategies used by foreign language learners, and discusses ways to assess students' strategy use. (SR)

Summarizes claims made in three studies that adopt a morphological approach to nonnative speaker-native speaker divergence. Examines these claims in terms of the morphological and syntactic theories presupposed and points to a number of problems. (Author/VWL)

Examines bilingual women and their discourses of identities, language choice, and language maintenance in light of new research on gender and language contact. Presents a view of value, roles, and directions of past and present research about gender and language contact and provides an example for future directions through examination of the…

Reports on linguistic features and patterns of coherence in mild and advanced levels of discourse of Alzheimer's patients. Argues and demonstrates that, as the disease progresses, patients' discourse becomes "pregrammatical"--vocabulary-driven and reliant on meaning-based discourse features rather than grammatically based features.…

Responds to a previous article on research in second-language learning, challenging the need for discussion on the promises and problems, and asserting the need to report definitive results. (Author/JL)

Presents three studies that provide a test of gender-as-culture, or "two cultures," hypothesis proposed by Maltz and Borker (1982) to explain male/female differences in language use. Finds that gender preferences for language use among undergraduate students function in ways that are consistent with stylistic preferences that distinguish national…

Uncovers the neglected roots of codeswitching, researching early studies of codeswitching an the state of the field before 1950. Examines why studies predating the 1960s and 1970s have been ignored by modern codeswitching researchers. (Author/VWL)