Ten native Chinese speaking children and adolescents who immigrated to the United States between the ages of 5 and 16 were studied for 3 years. Changes in their language preferences, language environments, and proficiency in English (their second language), as well as Chinese (their first language), were measured quantitatively and qualitatively.…

This research project examined the foreign language reading process of students of French faced with expository French-language texts. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of analogies in reading passages on the reading comprehension of novice and advanced French learners. (VWL)

Examines resolution of referential conflicts in second-language (L2) interaction in two different pairings of L2 learners. Pairs where the higher proficiency member was in the dominant role engaged in little interactive behavior, whereas pairs where the less proficient member was dominant engaged in substantial negotiation and interaction and were…

Examination of differences in the language-learning strategies of monolingual and multilingual adults found no clear evidence that multilinguals were superior in language-learning abilities overall, although they were more able to adjust their learning strategies according to language task requirements. (Author/CB)

Examines the production of yes/no questions by native speakers of English and speakers of Singapore English, a non-native regional variety. The findings suggest that what constitutes target-like use remains ill-defined as long as native speaker behavior is assumed, or intuited, rather than documented. (40 references) (GLR)

Examines effect of training 70 preschool children with animate agent + animate patient sentences (AAV) or animate agent + inanimate patient sentences (IAV). Children were tested with noun-noun-verb (NNV) order sentence to assess whether AAV or IAV produced better comprehension. AAV and IAV showed comparable results at age three, IAV resulted in…

Suggests ways to integrate current theories of cognition and cognitive learning in order to arrive at a more comprehensive understanding of language acquisition. (CFM)

Describes an alternate view of language learning strategies that limits their application to those behaviors that are intentional and freely chosen. A model is presented that postulates that for strategies to be used, students must be aware of one or more appropriate strategies, have reason to use them, have no impediments to their use, and should…

Examines research on adult second-language learning in regard to the proposal that reflexive verbs move in logical form (LF). The results of a study of 58 adult learners of Japanese show that learners' knowledge of the reflexive "zibun" at a high-proficiency level is consistent with the LF approach. (Contains 43 references.) (MDM)

Examined how speakers of languages with zero pronouns (Japanese) and without them (English) use zero pronouns when acquiring a second language (L2) that has them (Mandarin Chinese). The findings show that L2 learners do not use zero pronouns as often as native speakers and that their use increases with proficiency. (51 references) (MDM)

In the prevailing view of ultimate attainment in second language acquisition, native competence cannot be achieved by postpubertal learners. This study offers convergent experimental evidence that suggests exceptions to this generalization. (94 references) (Author/LB)

The articles in this special journal issue on hypercorrection are reviewed and related to accommodation theory. A heuristic model is presented that places hypercorrection in a theoretical framework designed to explore its antecedents and consequences in a variety of settings. Directions for future research are also suggested. (30 references) (LB)

A study of learner-to-learner talk during a Spanish conversation course suggested that an interview-type speaking activity does not necessarily provide negotiation opportunities and provided an example for a speaking activity that promotes negotiation among foreign language learners. (17 references) (Author/CB)

Reports on a study aimed at establishing the primacy of English as the major foreign language of Thailand, especially within the Thai tourist industry. A discrepancy is found between the English proficiency of Thai tourism workers and the needs of the industry, suggesting the need for further linguistic growth. (22 references) (JL)

Discusses Spolsky's "Conditions for Second Language Learning" (1989). It is suggested that a coordinated program of research on Spolsky's model of second-language learning would benefit from an understanding of the variable relationships to be explored in relation to the conditions for learning. (37 references) (JL)