Reports on a study which sought to compare syntax acquisition in French by francophone and non-francophone children, in order to establish the order in which French grammatical elements are acquired, and in order to create a French version of the Bilingual Syntax Measure. (AM)

Cites experience from a project (in Kiel) teaching German as a second language to show that second language acquisition proceeds not haphazardly but in a well-defined order of stages. As yet not enough is known about what determines these stages to warrant conclusions for teaching purposes. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Argues that word frequency counts do not indicate frequency of words at all, that they ignore linguistic context, and that they take no account of the situation in which words are encountered. Argues that these defects are so serious that such counts should be used with caution, if at all. (SR)

Critically reviews Bonnie Schwartz' 1986 article "The Epistemological Status of Second Language Acquisition," and focuses on the applicability of the modularity thesis of Chomsky and Fodor to second language learning (L2A); and on the relationship of such a theory to Krashen's model of L2A. (LMO)

Reviews research on the use of the "T-Unit" as a measure of language ability, demonstrating that the measure has limited utility in the case of second language, since it bases itself solely on syntax and does not reward speakers for sophistication in such areas as vocabulary. (Author/CB)

Discusses the English grammar rule of backshifting in reported speech, that after a past tense reporting verb the reported verb is backshifted. However, backshifting need not always take place. Examination of numerous examples indicates that the past is the unmarked form; the unbackshifted present is marked, as is the past perfect. (SED)

Discusses some of the basic issues of applied psycholinguistics (APL): the necessity for having a field called psycholinguistics, the specific object and scope of APL, the requirements that make it possible for such a field to exist and be developed, its theoretical basis, and methodological tools for research. (SED)

Some salient characteristics of words that facilitate or inhibit their recall and eventual use in a foreign language, including phonological shape, grammatical category, and functional aspects such as meaning and affective value, are examined and their pedagogical implications are discussed. (MSE)

Investigates second language phonology (English) of two native Hungarian speakers. Finds evidence for phonetic and phonological transfer but argues that there are limitations on what can be transferred. Contrasts error analysis approach with autonomous system analysis and concludes that each provides unique information and should be used together…

This study focuses on a particular listening pattern in Japanese which occurs by overlapping with the current speaker's incrementing utterance. Applying the Conversational Analysis approach to conversational data, the study delineates how native speakers utilize overlapping listener responses to indicate their strong alignment, and why learners of…

A glance through the past century of language teaching gives an interesting picture of various methodologies in the field of foreign language teaching. The sudden break-out of World War II heightened the need for proficient language speakers. The US Army provided fund for specific language courses that focused on aural-oral skills under the…

Discusses experimental evidence which suggests that there may be greater right hemisphere involvement in language processing in bilinguals who acquire their second language late relative to their first language and in bilinguals who learn their second language in informal contexts. (EKN)

Summarizes recent empirical research in second language acquisition. Discusses relationship between age and second language learning, implications of invariant order of acquisition of morphemes obtained in various second language acquisition studies, and role of errors in second language acquisition. (Author/BK)

Proposes a revision and expansion of Schumann's (1978b) model of pidginization as it relates to second language learning. A distinction is made between sociocultural aspects of the pidginization cycle and the acquisitional processes of pidginization, creolization, and decreolization. (Author/AM)

Examines the temporal reference of Spanish verb forms by using a simple time axis showing five points of temporal reference. (NCR)