Proposes a new type of English-as-a-Second-Language dictionary--in electronic form--that presents typical phraseology rather than words in isolation. Online, without the constraints of space and linear organization, the dictionary can treat the multiword lexical units and common collocational patterns that cohere around a node word and illustrate…

Demonstrates how a constructivist approach to teacher education helps inexperienced teachers understand learning and teaching of aspect, a core grammatical concept. By consciously experiencing the process of narration, apprentice teachers construct deeper awareness of form/meaning aspectual correlations of the target language. More generally,…

Two online tasks (an auditory same-different task and an auditory lexical decision task) examined the use of phonotactic information by 18 adults with cochlear implants. Cochlear implant patients with better word recognition abilities produced patterns of results similar to results obtained from listeners with normal hearing. (Contains…

Reports on the use of Systeme-D, a writing tool for learners of French that combines a bilingual word processor with an interconnected set of language reference materials, as a research tool to investigate the types of queries language learners use during the composing process. (24 references) (CB)

The continuity in development of syllable duration patterns was examined in seven young children as they progressed from preword to multiword periods of vocalization development. Results revealed no systematic increase or decrease in the duration of bisyllables produced by the children as a group, whereas lengthening of final syllables was…

Investigates how numbers function rhetorically by influencing persuasive appeals, the structure of messages, and the use of language. Argues that "three" is the dominant numerical motif in the English language. Asserts that, as long as numbers influence the speech, behaviors, and perceptions of people, their rhetorical significance must…

What errors in English subject-to-verb agreement reveal about the syntactic nature of sentence subjects was investigated. Participants in 3 experiments included 104 undergraduates and 64 members of a university community. Results suggest the abstract syntactic relation of subject controls/mediates verb agreement, not notional properties and…

Analysis of doctor-parent-child interactions in terms of facework and politeness theory revealed that discourse was a matter of continuous negotiation between participants. Doctors' provision of indirect and direct information to parents was best understood sequentially because they changed approaches according to parent understanding. (20…

Similarity neighborhoods for words in young children's lexicons were investigated using three computerized databases. Results revealed that words in five- and seven-year-olds' lexicons have many fewer similar neighbors. (Author/CB)

It is suggested that the most widely-known estimate of English speech rates, based on the speech of radio announcers, and a comparison of English and French radio announcer speech rates do not represent a truly standard range of speech rates. An alternative range is proposed. (Author/MSE)

Describes a study that analyzed 2,032 sentences from the literature of subject disciplines representing the social sciences and hard sciences to examine their use of syntactic features. Discussion covers the finding that there were significant differences primarily between, not among, the social science and hard science disciplines, and the…

A review of research and theory on the structure of signed and spoken languages explores the relationship between the two language types and how the study of signed languages can inform researchers about the human capacity for language. (29 references) (CB)

Psycholinguistic and neurological examination of the use of duality of patterning as a primary criterion for determining if a system is a (signed or spoken) language revealed the existence of duality in processes that facilitate language acquisition. (27 references) (Author/CB)

The neuronal model shown to code sound-source azimuth in the barn owl by H. Wagner et al. in 1987 is used as the basis for a speculative brain-based human model, which can establish contrastive phonetic categories to solve the problem of perception "non-invariance." (SLD)

Examines relationships of idiomatic communication (including words, phrases, or nonverbal signs) to the interpersonal sentiments of 100 romantically involved heterosexual couples. Finds that loving, commitment, and closeness correlated with the number of idioms expressing affection and referring to sexual matters. Notes that males invented idioms…