Discusses the "nur/erst" translation problem and offers several strategies for determining which one should be used for the English "only." (EKN)

Discusses the evolution and use of verb prefixes in Russian. The prefixes are classified by semantic content with subclasses of variants and problem verbs also given. (EKN)

Suggests that translational efficiency and effectiveness could be advanced by the same consideration of grammatical patterns that is standard with lexical items. Decries the absence of the type of grammar that could be a useful reference tool for translators and exegetes and describes some of its characteristics. (MES)

Claims that mere frequency of presentation is not enough for efficient vocabulary learning to take place. Each item should be presented in a wide range of syntactic contexts. It should also be noted that even apparent synonyms may not be substituted one for the other in any sentence-frame. (AMH)

The nature and development of communicative abilities in young children is introduced as the central theme of this issue of "Theory into Practice." (JD)

Explores the hypothesis that the meaning of a word, especially a noun, relates directly to the types of relationships that the speaker has to the various referents that the word lets him construct, and that the referents have with their environment. Polysemic, metonymic, and metaphoric uses then tend to become confused with the actual lexical…

Considers multilingualism among a group of ex-hunter gatherers, the Penans of Brunei. Findings suggest the language situation of the Penans is quite different from their neighbors and from other coastal-dwelling Bruneians. Explains underlying reasons of Penans' attitudes, as well as knowledge and patterns of language use among the Penans.…

Applies two fundamental principles of optimalist theory to yield predictions about cluster reduction patterns. (Author/VWL)

Examines the Spanish imperative paradigm and Ramsey's notion that all forms of Spanish imperatives are substituted by subjunctives in the first and third person. The concept of deontic modality in demonstrating the relationships among imperative and imperativelike patterns that carry the meaning of obligation, permission, and prohibition is also…

Presents a biographical sketch of S. I. Hayakawa and the results of a recent interview with him over the impact of his writing. (KEH)

Demonstrates through statistical sampling that variability in the use of the so-called Spanish "personal a" can be explained by the importance of the role that marked nouns have in discourse and applies that notion to a case study from Hispanic literature. (CB)

Examines patterns of discrepancies in English and Spanish spelling, at the phonetic and morphological level, that result in orthographic false cognates. Twenty-two patterns are revealed at the phonetic level and 21 patterns are revealed at the morphological level (derivational affixes)--7 in prefixes and 12 in suffixes. (MLS)

Argues that words with different meanings normally appear in discriminably different contexts, and that the cue for learning to associate direct antonyms is not their substitutability but rather their frequent co-occurrence in the same sentence. (Author/VWL)

Focuses on pronouns of address, especially the second person singular, in which many European languages make distinctions according to the degree of familiarity between the speaker and the person addressed. Discusses the problems these distinctions present (especially in literary works) to translators who work in languages where such nuances are…

The tracing of the origin of the name of a Tidewater, Virginia, group of watermen who spoke a distinctive dialect illustrates the power of language in marking the group's social parameters and distinguishing that group from other area watermen. (34 references) (CB)