In language contact studies, specific features of the contact languages are often seen to be the result of transfer (interference), but it remains difficult to disentangle the role of intra-systemic and inter-systemic factors. We propose to unravel these factors in the analysis of a feature of Brussels French which many researchers attribute to…

This article focuses on a detailed description of patterns of address in Dili Tetum today. It outlines the complexities of the address system and points to considerable variation in its evolving present-day use. We find, amongst other things, that a speaker may use a range of address strategies even to the same addressee, and that the use of…

The location of an object is often described by spatially relating it to a known landmark. The spatial terms used in such descriptions can provide various types of information. For example, projective terms such as "above" indicate direction but not distance, whereas proximal terms such as "near" indicate distance but not direction. Previous…

For English-language learners, comprehension can be hindered by a lack of understanding of homonyms, homophones, and homographs, but the right instructional strategies can alleviate this problem. Following a discussion of issues such as the importance of being aware of a student's literacy skills in his or her home language and the need to…

This paper seeks to determine the essential qualities of proper nouns and to determine the differences between proper and common nouns by reviewing research and writings on the subject. Both proper and common nouns are found to connote the attributes of objects as their content. Common nouns, however, are those that identify a certain substance on…

Conjunctions (e.g., "if, and, so") appear in varied contexts and are associated with a wide range of interpretations. The theoretical options concerning the lexical specifications of these items are: (1) multiplicity of senses; and (2) restricted senses augmented by conversational implicatures. It is proposed here that the latter…

Intended as a home resource book for children, this grammar handbook is a quick reference source for questions on grammar and punctuation. The book provides information, as well as sentences to illustrate each definition and guideline, about the most frequently used terms in grammar and punctuation. The book's information is organized…

The book is a typological study of grammatical roles, such as agent, patient, beneficiary, and of grammatical relations, such as subject (direct) and indirect object. In addition it is concerned with the devices, such as the passive, that alter the identities in such roles and relations. Its objective is to suggest a consistent and reasonably…

Berko's Wug-Technique, using invented words to test linguistic knowledge, has been used with a wide range of age groups, and test results have been treated identically when obtained from children who controlled fully the construction in question in their spontaneous speech or from children just acquiring it. A study of seven-year-old and…

Rules governing formulation of the embedded tense in Russian are explained and their importance to beginning students of Russian discussed. (RM)

Examines German idiomatic predicate constructions in various aspects; finds that these constructions do not form a homogeneous class, either as to form or as to syntax. Numerous examples, taken from dictionaries and other sources, are used. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

A set of rules is given generating those temporal clauses in English whose sources are sentences embedded in the adverbial position by means of relativization. See FL 508 197 for availability. (Author/RM)

This article proposes a semantic interpretation of the directional prefixes in Kiksht (Upper Chinook), and a hypothesis about their extension into temporal use. The Kiksht tense system is also outlined, and each tense is individually reviewed. (CLK)

This article discusses two syntactic processes known as chaining and linkage, insofar as they are relevant to Chuave, a Papuan language spoken in the East New Guinea Highlands. These processes are discussed in relation to Chuave medial verbs. (CLK)

Traditional Latin word classes are seen in relation to modern grammatical theory. (Text is in French.) (PMP)