Alderson's (2007) paper investigated whether subjective frequency counts for words might be a reliable substitute for corpus data. Alderson is critical of previous research which has found high correlations between corpus data and subjective estimates, and he argues that his own research, "has failed to show that frequency judgements can…

Practice is not meant to be understood as the opposite of theory, DeKeyser wrote; instead, practice involves specific activities in an L2 that learners engage in, deliberately, with the goal of developing knowledge of and skills in the L2. In the book "Discursive Practice in Language Learning and Teaching," by "practice" the author means something…

Conversation analysis (CA) has repeatedly been criticized for being unresponsive to the "sociological agenda." This article argues that CA should, and can, respond to this criticism, and that CA should work toward making its contribution to the sociological agenda much more explicit. (Author/VWL)

Provides commentary on an article concerning transcriptions and the denoting of silence, contrasting it with a similar article concerning transcriptions and real time as it effects research analysis of spoken discourse. Contains 22 references. (GLR)

Reviews recent applied linguistic research on science and language, especially studies conducted during the period between 1990 and 1998. Outlines major changes that have taken place in this area since van Naerssen and Kaplan's 1987 review. (Author/VWL)

Considers issues in interdependence--the micro-macro issue in particular--to be important theoretical matters for future work in language and social interaction. (Author/VWL)

Focuses on the development of conversation analysis (CA) and the recognition it has earned in a number of disciplines, including communication. Suggests that, during the next period of development, CA methods will become more quantitative. (Author/VWL)

Discusses the emergence of language and social interaction as a scholarly field and how the field can improve its impact on members of the general public. Proposed in terms of conversation analysis, suggestions are offered for communicating the benefits to a wider audience. (Author/VWL)

Suggests that research on language and social interaction can best proceed by engaging in the puzzle-solving enterprise that characterizes normal research. Systematic explorations are needed of the language phenomena deemed relevant by the respective paradigms. (Author/VWL)

Raises issues of concern related to the field of language and social interaction (LSI): (1) LSI cannot be properly studied by treating language as a transparent medium; (2) discourse is a multimodal activity system; (3) LSI research has the potential to contribute to a wide range of language research; and (4) technology is deepening the…

Defines the most prominent aspects of critical discourse analysis (CDA) and discusses how such a research program enables individuals to cope with the changes in societies. Also identifies social problems deserving investigation.(Author/VWL)

Suggests the future of language and social interaction research should be further development of the understanding of the organization of talk and other contact in interaction itself, at the most general level in which it can be described. (Author/VWL)

Discusses resonances and basic issues of the four language and social interaction divisions of the National Communication Association and the International Communication Association: Ethnomethodology, Conversation Analysis, Microanalysis, and the Ethnography of Speaking (EM-CA-MA-ES). (Author/VWL)

Although both literary study and discourse analysis examine texts and oral discourses, literary study tends to emphasize the totality of the text while discourse analysis seeks to isolate manageable elements and structures to validate hypotheses about mental processes. Interaction has recently occurred between the two disciplines in…

Refutes the assumption on which most second language research is based--that language is intended by its speakers to transfer information to some interlocutor--by responding to Tomlin's paper in the same journal, "The Treatment of Foreground-Background Information in the On-Line Descriptive Discourse of Second Language Learners."