Corrected reprint of an article originally published in Language Arts, volume 66 number 2 (February 1989). See CS 737 385. (MM)

Preschool children were given a memory task that required repeating a list of animal names and a sentence imitation task. Results confirmed a relationship between word span and language imitation in younger preschool children and the notion of a memory constraint on early spontaneous language. Increasing mastery of linguistic rules appeared to…

Language shift and language loss were studied in three generations of a Dutch immigrant family. Findings from an analysis of letters, interviews, a domain questionnaire, and editing and correction tests suggest increases in language shift with each generation although the degree of loss was rather slow in the first and second generation. (Contains…

A framework is formulated to explain the context and content sensitivity involved in the meaning of utterances of sentences containing a modal auxiliary. It is argued that the English language is based in a relatively simple, well-structured semantic system, yet it is used on a highly complex world of communication. (Contains 39 references.) (LB)

"Analysing Genre," by Vijay K. Bhatia, is a timely addition to the literature on genre analysis in English for specific purposes. It is divided into three parts: the first provides theoretical background; the second explains how genre analysis works in different academic and professional settings; and the third exemplifies the…

This article for speech language pathologists discusses theories of language learning and use that are consistent with whole language, including lexical contrast, connectionism, schemata, event representations, and parsing. Direct application is made to intervention, and examples of interactions between speech language pathologists and children…

The use of the cognate recognition strategy to enhance reading comprehension in a Latin American English-for-Special-Purposes context is considered. Focus is on the subtechnical vocabulary found in 40 texts from English engineering magazines, first describing vocabulary identification techniques and then assessing whether the items have Spanish…

A discussion of language policy formation and planning in Western European countries covers the following: implications of the 1992 Treaty of Maastricht, European Community initiatives, language planning at the regional level, the European Science Foundation, bilingual education, and the Council of Europe. (Contains 47 references.) (LB)

Discusses social gaffes that North Americans can make when using inappropriate gestures and body language in other cultures, focusing on the meaning of common gestures in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Includes a whimsical 10-question gesture and body language quiz. (MDM)

Discusses the early writing experiences of preschool children, focusing on the first words that children learn to write, such as their names. Uses writing samples from three- and four-year olds to illustrate the early literacy development of preschool children. (MDM)

Argues that the language policies in North and South Korea are in some respects divergent and in others convergent. The North uses more nativized words, while the South retains Sino-Korean words. Awareness of each other's policies and their implications in the event of reunification is evident in the regressive measures taken. (23 references) (CK)

The prepositional phrases used in free play discourse by 45 African American preschoolers from low-income homes were analyzed. A statistically significant positive relationship was found between amounts of African American English (AAE) form use and relational semantic complexity. No significant relationships were found between simpler…

Examines how postintermediate students of English as a Second Language (ESL) can be encouraged to develop and sustain insights into language use that should lead to more accurate written and oral fluency, and discusses the use of language awareness strategies with adult Taiwanese ESL students. (13 references) (MDM)

Examines whether preschool children take the gender of the addressee into account when disputing during peer exchanges. Finds that both boys and girls modified their language use in mixed-sex groups, with boys using fewer commands when more girls were present, and girls using more contradictions in mixed-sex than same-sex groups. (SR)

The results of a study involving 18 students from a grade 8 early French immersion class support the argument that in producing a second language, learners will on occasion become aware of a linguistic problem and modify their output. (41 references) (MDM)