Compares written expression of temporal relationships by American and Mexican children fourth- and ninth-grade children (N=80) receiving long-term second language instruction to that of native speaker children of the same grade level. Nonnative speakers use the same general patterns of syntactic, lexical, and discursive devices for expressing…

Discusses analogical change in word structure where meaning seems to have had a role in determining the direction of the change. Many examples are given of pairs of British place names and other English words of various origins. A few examples are included from other languages. (Author/LMO)

Examines the effect of adult recasting in sign language on the acquisition of specific syntactic-semantic structures by deaf children aged 9 to 76 months. Results indicated that recasting triggered the acquisition of new syntactic-semantic structures in American Sign Language and English, evident in the spontaneous production of previously…

Discusses shifts in language/composition research over the past 20 years as they relate to an emerging consensus about English teaching. (SRT)

Assesses the performance of bilingual children on two language tasks in both the children's languages in order to determine whether the profile of skills in the first language was replicated in the second language. (HOD)

The use of a semiotic approach to foreign language literature appreciation and criticism at the college level is advocated as a means of analyzing texts. What is sought first of all is the meaning of the text with the semiotic-linguistic levels of organization that produce the meaning. (MSE)

This issue deals with verb-object complementation, a complex and controversial but important topic, in particular in connection with the teaching and learning of a second language. The articles are a response to a long debate about the harmonization of grammatical terminology used in schools and the simplification of grammar for students. The…

The aim of this grammar is to analyze in some detail the mechanisms of the Aleut language as represented by older speakers and by earlier sources, and is intended for both students of Aleut and linguists in general. An introductory chapter gives background on the language's history, linguistic documentation, Aleut dialects, and outside influences.…

A checklist for teachers of English as a Second Language who are teaching the expression of comparisons is presented. It is intended to assist in the systematic classroom presentation of features of comparison, with adaptation for any proficiency level. Broadly, it addresses how both the units being compared and the points of comparison need to be…

This study, consisting of two experiments, investigated the role of verb information in resolving ambiguous noun phrases (NPs) in reading comprehension. Both experiments extended earlier studies. The first measured and compared reading time for sentences containing temporarily ambiguous subject complements and unambiguous complements, which were…

A study of intrasentential code-switching in 21 Finnish-English bilinguals focuses on the characteristics of two types of switches: those that are fluent and those that reflect repair phenomena. Data are drawn from naturally occurring conversations. Analysis highlights patterns in the use of Finnish case morphology in 550 instances of switched…

This collection of papers provides an overview of previous studies on the acquisition of Spanish as a second or foreign language, theoretical approaches used in these studies, and effects of various pedagogical approaches on the development of Spanish interlanguage systems. The 10 chapters include the following: (1) "Phonology: Staking Out…

This paper examines some of the rarely discussed aspects of Apachean classificatory verb stems with particular reference to Navajo and Western Apache. It is asserted that the concept of prototypes (and associated fuzziness) is useful in a description of Apachean classificatory verb stems, and that it can be used at two logically distinct levels of…

This issue includes the following articles: "Assimilation to the Unmarked" (Eric Bakovic); "On the Non-Universality of Functional Projections and the Effects on Parametrized Variation: Evidence from Creoles" (Marlyse Baptista); "What Turkish Acquisition Tells Us about Underlying Word Order and Scrambling" (Natalie…

Linguistic and cognitive assessment of children whose home language is not English involves numerous complex issues: criteria for labeling minority children cognitively deficient, relationship between bilingualism and cognitive development, acquisition of Spanish and English by bilingual children, and design of programs for non-English speaking…