Patterns of dialect shift and language standardization in the United States are examined and illustrated with regional dialect maps. In particular, the relationship between the disappearance of regional accents and negative attitudes about accents is discussed. It is concluded that there is a long-term trend toward a more uniform accent among…

A study explored the functionalist-constructivist approach to acquisition of grammar where word classes emerge as a result of distributional differences related to function. Focus is on acquisition of two Swedish forms, "i" and "pa," which can belong to the categories of either particles or prepositions, in two Swedish…

This paper examines two studies on language development and narrative discourse structure by looking at how language shapes and is shaped by culture-specific experiences. Conversations between 20 middle-class Japanese preschoolers, aged 4-5 years old, and their mothers were analyzed to study differences in narrative elicitation by mothers towards…

A study investigated the use of negative polarity items (NPIs) in child language, and in particular, how children acquire the restrictions on these items. Data are drawn from studies of NPIs in the spontaneous speech of Dutch- and English-speaking children. Results show the first NPIs to appear in Dutch and English are widely different…

This dictionary of Ahtna, a dialect of the Athabaskan language family, is the first to integrate all morphemes into a single alphabetically arranged section of main entries, with verbs arranged according to a theory of Ahtna (and Athabascan) verb theme categories. An introductory section details dictionary format conventions used, presents a brief…

The definition of and distinction between two variations of American English, African American English Vernacular (AAEV) and Gullah, the American creole spoken on the coast of Georgia and South Carolina, are discussed. It is argued that while these and other varieties are defined typically by their basilects, the reality encountered in the field…

An analysis of the instrumental case in four languages (English, Hungarian, Kongo, and Nepali) compares expressions of each of the deep cases of instrumentality (tool, body part, material, and force) in each language. Observations are based on a translation exercise given to native speakers of the languages and on follow-up interviews. The…

Three experiments investigated whether word order and case markers play a role in the native speaker's comprehension of Japanese. In Japanese, verbs are at the clause-final position and the order of words other than the verb appear to be flexible. The fact that verb information does not become available until the end of a clause suggests that…

This digest introduces a specialized approach to teaching at-risk students a foreign language. In the dyslexia literature, the approach is referred to as "multisensory structured language." Because the methodology places a strong emphasis on the metacognitive aspects of language in both native and foreign language instruction, the term…

A study investigated how Japanese learners of English conceptualize the meanings of Japanese sentences in the indirect passive voice, a structure unique to Japanese, and how they express their interpretations in English. Subjects were university freshmen in two cohorts (81 in 1991, 35 in 1994). They read a dialogue in English, then completed a…

The study contrasts Acadian English (Cajun) spoken in Louisiana with the local standard English, describing the linguistic features (pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary) of the dialect in non-technical language. The objective is to inform elementary and secondary school teachers and others involved in education and curriculum development for a…

A study analyzed patterns of usage of political vocabulary in Hong Kong English as found in newspaper reports of a leading Hong Kong English-medium newspaper and two other English-medium newspapers. Data were drawn from a computerized corpus and a clippings file. The report begins with an overview of the theoretical basis of the study of ideology…

Four papers on syntax and morphology are presented. "Clitics in Slavic" (Mila Dimitrova-Vulchanova) discusses the syntactic relevance of clitic placement across Slavic languages, and the functional categories that are or might be instrumental in determining placement of clitics and clitic clusters. In "A Promotion Analysis of…

In a case study, a child's acquisition and maintenance of Chinese (as a first language) and English (as a second language) were documented. The child brought to the United States at age 3.5, acquired English in 2 years and was encouraged to maintain his Chinese skills through a family-based education program. For 6 months the boy was given Chinese…

A study examined the English syntactic problems persistent in the performance of educated Arabs living in the United States for an average of 5 years. The study is seen as significant because it reflects the features that distinguish the Arabs' English as a performance variety that develops where English is used as a foreign language. Subjects…