Discusses some syntactic evidence gathered in a recent study which suggests not only that the dialect of Puerto Rican Spanish spoken in the New York area may be undergoing greater change than has previously been documented, but also that English interference cannot adequately account for the nature of that change. (EKN)

Concludes that, with the exception of number of adverb clauses per T-unit, the oral and written language of first grade children was similar in syntactic complexity. (FL)

Reviews the history of machine translation (MT) research in China. Describes Chinese MT techniques as based on syntactic analysis, full use of fixed phrases, the key role of funtion words, and emphasis on formal analysis without neglecting meaning. (Available from ALLC, Dr. Rex Last, German Dept., Univ. of Hull, Hull HU57RX, England.) (Author/MES)

Describes the experimental methods used to verify two hypotheses concerning the variability of linguistic behavior at the social and individual levels, within a homogeneous community. Postulates correlations among data from the social/individual "external dimension" and the "internal dimension" which is based on structural properties such as…

The partitive genitive and other types of genitive are examined to show that despite Latin's rigid, well-defined case system, irregularities in the functioning of the system occur. This allows the system to maximize structural characteristics to offset potential ambiguities. (PMJ)

Argues that the study of discourse and the larger context of social interaction requires explicit reference to a broader organizational setting and aspects of cultural beliefs often ignored by students of discourse, conversational analysis, and paralinguistic and nonverbal activities. (FL)

Reviews research done in the 1970s on the graphic, morphological, syntactic, textual, and semantic levels in foreign language reading and compares it with first language learning research. Speculates on future developments that may result in more efficient teaching programs and test devices in foreign language reading. (FL)

Focuses on the phonological restructuring of the Chamic languages of Vietnam in the last 2,000 years. Although internal paths of change are relatively clear, available evidence indicates that external contact set the changes in motion and determined their direction. (52 references) (Author/CK)

Suggests an approach to the analysis of mathematical texts that makes use of linguistic theory to provide insights into how the language of a text may influence the ways in which readers make sense of it. Focuses on the ways in which teacher-readers may make sense of texts produced by students. Contains 33 references. (DDR)

Illustrates the interdependence between theory and method by showing how the methods underling even a relatively simple analysis of discourse are imbued with theoretical import. Focuses on two methodological decisions that are a standard part of the set of discourse analytic tools: what is context and what is the unit of analysis? (39 references)…

Examines a specific type of code switching that occurs when bilingual peers make relevant their dual and simultaneous membership in the two groups symbolized by the two linguistic varieties involved in the switching pattern. Structural constraints and switching are discussed across code-switching types. (31 references) (Author/OD)

Uses illustrations from the history of Germanica to explain the concept of exaptation when dealing with language evolution, i.e., the reuse of language material that has been coded by morphology but has since lost its grammatical distinction. (46 references) (GLR)

The comparison of languages can be an effective instructional technique if used well. The comparison of isolated elements is less effective than the examination of languages at several levels: system, norm, and usage. (MSE)

Explores the semantics and pragmatics of indefinite descriptions. It is argued that indefinite descriptions are not semantically ambiguous and that their various interpretations may be explained on the basis of general communicative principles. He shows that his proposed analysis can account for generic and predicative interpretations. (45…

Academic writing in the fields of counseling psychology, biology, and history was examined from a linguistic perspective. Differences were found in cohesive density and in comparisons of the use of lexical ties and also in the numbers of marked and unmarked clauses and the types of marking used. (35 references) (Author/LB)