This commentary discusses Westergaard's (2021) keynote article, which presents a comprehensive model of first language (L1), second language (L2), and third language (L3) acquisition. The commentary presents evidence from a previous study of L3 learners that provides support for Westergaard's property-by-property transfer proposal. The commentary…

The recent "TESOL Quarterly" article by Biber, Gray, and Poonpon (2011) raises important considerations with respect to the use of syntactic complexity (SC) measures in second language (L2) studies. The article draws the field's attention to one particular measure--complexity of noun phrases (NP) (i.e., noun phrases with modifiers, such as…

In previous reviews of studies comparing explicit and implicit instruction (Krashen, 1981, 1982, 1999, 2003), the author argued that explicit instruction will show a positive effect only when the following conditions for the use of the conscious Monitor are met: (1) the acquirer consciously knows the rule or the meaning of the item--that is, has…

Formulaic speech has been notoriously difficult to define and identify despite its crucial importance to native-like fluency and idiomaticity. In this article, I introduce a way of identifying phraseological units in a running text. I am interested in recurrent fragments like "charged with crimes against humanity" in texts which involve multiple…

Explores use of phrase 'taken for granted' including 'accept as true' and 'to fail to give subject's due.' Suggests latter usage has been noticed by few dictionary compilers, and EFL learners find it difficult to use and understand. (Author/BK)

Describes two key principles that are claimed to be at the core of teaching languages, according to the lexical approach. Discusses difficulties with the approach and suggests that there is still much work to be done before the approach can be more fully integrated into mainstream English language teaching instruction. (Author/VWL)

Examines why some sayings and catchphrases stick in people's minds, while others are unrecognized and unused. Offers an answer to this question from an evolutionary standpoint. (Author/VWL)

Argues that publishers of simplified versions of literary texts accessible to the language learner give inadequate guidance to their simplifiers regarding grammatical simplification, leaving them to rely on their intuitive feel. The article outlines and demonstrates a system of grammatical simplification based on fundamental syntactic…

Investigates the acquisition of English relative clauses by native Malay speakers, who are proficient in English, in relation to the issue of parameter setting. Tests a proposal put forth by Tsimpli and Smith (1991) and Smith and Tsimpli (1995). (Author/VWL)

Provides a lesson plan for teaching phrasal verbs to English-as-a-Second-Language students that involves authentic texts in English and is most suitable for intermediate and advanced learning levels. Magazine and newspaper articles on topics relevant to a given class will provide interesting reading material containing up-to-date language.…

Outlines the kinds of idiosyncrasies the phrasal lexicon contains and the problems they create for learners and nonnative teachers of English as a foreign language. Suggests ways in which some English for special purposes programs might benefit from research based nonnative performance in specialized varieties. (Author/VWL)

Presents a theory of reading and a justification in the form of a defense of a highly generalized approach to the different forms of reading and of a lexical approach to receptive grammar. The article also addresses the question of the usefulness of models in general and this one in particular, specifically with relation to foreign-language…

The properties of "do", its distribution and meaning, are discussed. "Do" is one of the most common error-zones for Indian learners of English. Two analyses of "do" which account for the distribution and meaning of this element are presented. According to the transformational approach, "do" is introduced in…

Awareness of structures may be conscious or unconscious in the expert user of a language: this paper contends that insufficient conscious awareness of a language structure in teachers of English may impair the teaching and learning of that structure, even when considerable classroom time is invested in it. Phrasal verbs are extensively covered in…

Investigates the way adult second language (L2) learners of English resolve relative clause attachment ambiguities. Advanced learners of English who were Greek or German native speakers participated in a set of off-line and on-line tasks. Results indicate L2 learners do not process ambiguous sentences of this type in the same way adult native…