This article discusses case studies of subjects labeled as learning disabled (LD) who have gained a degree of proficiency in a second language. The subjects' performance on written dictations, oral readings, and comprehension after oral and silent reading are compared qualitatively between their first and second language. (60 references) (JL)

Translating numerals into number words is a tacit task requiring linguistic and mathematical knowledge. This project expanded on previous number production models by examining developmental differences in children's number naming errors. Ninety-six children from grades one, three, five, and seven translated a random set of numerals into number…

No single foreign language teaching method can produce speakers with competence in all areas of the target language. Teachers should be aware that the relative importance of form versus function varies with the specific goals of language use and should consider the consequences of fossilization, error correction, and comprehensibility in teaching…

Twenty-five advanced Chinese learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) provided grammaticality judents in full-sentence and word-by-word conditions. The results indicated that parsing, and not grammatical competence, is the source of difficulty on performance with subject extraction sentences. Contains 58 references. (MDM)

The report describes an analysis of errors yielded by a written test in English given to 424 Swedish 14-year-olds from 24 different classes in the comprehensive school. The analysis discusses the difference in attainment between pupils of high and low proficiency, frequencies and types of errors for regular and irregular verbs, and the occurrence…

This paper presents and illustrates a technique for analyzing the communicative effect of errors produced in spoken and written communication samples by students of English as a second language (ESL). First, a method is demonstrated for eliciting a representative communication sample of a student's speech or writing, using pictorial stimuli.…

Examination of the lexical proficiency of 24 near-native and 12 native senior high school speakers of Swedish found no consistent differences between the groups on measures of lexical density, lexical variation, and lexical sophistication. However, clear differences were seen in frequency of errors and in the distribution of error types. (CB)

Compares 1973 and 1978 studies of the English syntactic proficiency of bilingual Mexican-American fourth- and ninth-grade Spanish/English speakers in Las Vegas (New Mexico). Shows that students enrolled in bilingual education throughout the elementary school years perform better on syntactic maturity measures than do their counterparts not…

Analyzed some factors affecting acquisition of subjunctive by upper level students of Spanish. Variables included were 1) length of foreign residence; 2) total amount of formal study; and 3) pretest and posttest scores. A week-long lesson on the uses of subjunctive intervened between the tests. Tests are appended. (LMO)

Based on results of a project undertaken in Finland over many years, this definition of transfer is offered: Transfer is both a facilitating and limiting factor which provides one basis for the learner to form and test hypotheses about the second language he or she is learning. Theory and research on transfer are discussed as they relate to item…

Two native and one non-native (Japanese) instructors of English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) corrected free compositions written by a Japanese college graduate with a degree in English. Analysis of the corrections revealed marked differences in type and number, with the non-native speaker most frequently indicating difficulty with articles, word…

Examination of native English-speaking secondary school students' reactions to letters written in English by German students indicated that effective communication depends not only on a comprehensible message but also on the ability of the writer to sustain the reader's interest and sympathy. (CB)

Examines style shifting in the use of three past tense morphemes by 17 intermediate learners of English as a second language. Style shifting is explored within a single discourse mode--narrative--according to the amount of time made available. Data were collected under three conditions: (1) planned writing; (2) planned speech; and (3) unplanned…

Investigates the interrelationship of several factors--phonological similarity between L1 and L2, transfer, and markedness as they relate to the acquisition of two English vowel phonemes by native speakers of Brazilian Portuguese. Phonetic and phonological similarity between L1 and L2 appear to be important factors. (LMO)

A study of the effects of four methods of correcting free writing assignments in college German is reported. Results indicate student progress is enhanced by writing practice alone. Corrections did not increase writing accuracy, writing fluency, or general language proficiency, and may have a negative effect on student attitudes. (MSE)