This essay examines the working-class Mexican experience as represented in Jorge Ulica's "Cronicas Diabolicas," which he published between 1916 and 1926. What unites the wide-ranging subject matter of the chronicles is the author's resolute interest in maintaining his working-class compatriots' cultural and ideological ties to Mexico.…

Focuses on the relationship between involuntary verbal rehearsal, Piaget's egocentric speech, Vygotsky's inner speech, and the song stuck in my head phenomena. It is hypothesized that song may act as a Language Acquisition Device (LAD) activator or be a strategy of the LAD in the ontogenetic development of language. (28 references) (Author/VWL)

Reviews literature on language transfer and language universals. Defines language universals as those linguistic elements which are common to all languages. Discusses language transfer and language universals as interacting phenomena. Concludes that language universals serve as an overall guiding principle in second language acquisition,…

Involuntary mental rehearsal of foreign language words, sounds, and phrases is found consistent with current second language acquisition theory and case history reports. It is suggested the "din in the head" results from stimulation of the language acquisition device set off when the acquirer receives enough comprehensible input. (Author/MSE)

A discussion on the acquisition of morphology and syntax focuses on the following: (1) the problem of regularity in interlanguage (IL) morphology and syntax, (2) the contribution of universal grammar to second-language acquisition, and (3) variability in IL performance. An annotated bibliography is appended. (38 references) (GLR)

A brief survey of research on second-language (L2) vocabulary focuses on the following: knowledge of the lexicon; lexical simplification; the role of native language to L2 vocabulary development; prototypes; and vocabulary in context. (29 references) (GLR)

Suggestions are presented for how the link between theoretical and applied phonology may be concretely defined for the purposes of research on second language phonological development. (71 references) (Author/VWL)

Presents examples from spoken and written discourse to illustrate how speakers and writers report what was said using forms and structures that receive no coverage in textbooks available to English language learners. It is argued that the exercises typically presented in such textbooks provide little preparation for the interpretation of many…

Cites research that the typical second language classroom experience of literature is indeed a task rather than a pleasure. Asks whether pleasure and learner-centeredness cannot be developed further than is usually the case to maximize the potential of literature for second language learners. (Author/VWL)

A discussion of the what, why, how, and when of bilingualism links it to biculturalism and demonstrates that effective psycholinguistic studies of bilingualism must consider the interaction of language and social structure and the functionalistic-communicative trends of linguistics. 28 references. (Author/CB)

Introductory comments to a special journal issue on communicative accommodation provide a framework within which the accompanying articles can be examined. Terminology and field methods are described for this frontier area of sociolinguistic study and more sociolinguistic analysis is advocated. (50 references) (LB)

Summarizes and comments on two recent books, one by Birgit Harley and the other by David Singleton, that review the language research carried out to determine the importance of age in learning a second language. (CFM)

Examines the concept of consciousness in second-language research. After defining theoretical assumptions and reviewing a number of controversies in the psycholinguistic and second-language literature, it is argued that the terms conscious and unconscious have acquired too much surplus meaning and should be abandoned in favor of clearly defined…

Draws from sociolinguistic perspective, human development, school learning, and language policy to discuss conflicting claims about second-language learning in school. Differentiates between cultural context within micro cultures and school content within global macro culture. Asserts that educators should ensure that learners have access to the…

Examines the lexical errors made by students learning French as a foreign language, and proposes a new method for teaching vocabulary based on a lexical disambiguation model. (15 references) (JL)