Views the teaching of grammar as fundamental to the development of competence in a language, and asserts that grammar can best be taught by providing students with the appropriate rules followed by ample practice in their use. (FB)

The first "missing link is that between the linguist's rules and the rule component of performance; the second is between a student's competence as expressed in correct performance in the controlled language learning situation and spontaneous performance where selection of language is involved. (Author/FWB)

Discusses an attempt to derive, use, and partially validate (for one area of language use) a theoretical approach to the design of language-use tests, also called "explicit direct testing." (EKN)

Explores the English language spelling system and the differences between written and spoken language. Points out that, although young children have a complex understanding of language, four-to-six-year-olds do not have the linguistic competence of adults. Explains how teachers can help in areas of difficulty. (JM)

Research concerning cerebral asymmetry and its effect on scholastic achievement, reading disabilities, learning disabilities, and linguistic competence is reviewed in an exploration of brain hemisphere-specific etiologies of dyslexia. (CJ)

Three studies assessed children's knowledge of the wh question modal auxiliary placement rule by asking the children to imitate (and in Study 3 judge) grammatical and ungrammatical model wh questions. (Author/MP)

Evidence is presented to support the hypothesis that informal and formal environments contribute to different aspects of second language competence, the former affecting acquired competence and the latter affecting learned competence. Data is presented that suggests that the classroom can be used simultaneously as a formal and informal linguistic…

Two areas of concern are addressed: comprehension and expression. It is suggested that an increasing number of students in Great Britain show lower levels of academic achievement in these two areas. (LBH)

Data obtained from a test of erasing an initial consonant or vowel of nonwords are presented and discussed to prove the inefficiency of processing when depending solely on acoustic decontextualized data. The experimental paradigm is the same as that used by the Universite Libre de Bruxelles. (six references) (LB)

Investigates whether inflectional morphology is rule-based or whether the assumption of pattern association is more adequate to account for the facts, arguing for the latter based on analysis of acquisitional data. Review of earlier literature on the subject examines experiments with German- and English-speaking children and supports the schema…

Discussion abounds in the literature as to whether aphasia is a deficit of linguistic competence or linguistic performance and, if it is a performance deficit, what are its precise mechanisms. Considerable evidence suggests that alteration of nonlinguistic factors can affect language performance in aphasia, a finding that raises questions about…

Background:School-age children with specific language impairment (SLI) exhibit slower real-time (i.e. immediate) language processing relative to same-age peers and younger, language-matched peers. Results of the few studies that have been done seem to indicate that the slower language processing of children with SLI is due to inefficient…

This article considers the acquisition and command of written language and how it is affected by brain damage. The aim is to show the close connections between psychology, linguistics and medical brain research. (Text is in German.) (TL)

The French language competence of two groups of English-speaking pupils who are educated via French was investigated. Third and fifth grade English-speaking pupils were compared with French-speaking children of the same age. Results of the study are discussed. (Author/RM)