Explores the phenomenon of second language speech fluency and how it may be facilitated through instruction. An overview of research on fluency in second language speech is presented; empirical research is discussed in light of psycholinguistic knowledge about mental processes underlying second language production, and a model is posited that…

Responds to a previous article that suggests the second-language-acquisition acquisition field has failed to realize academic respectability. Offers an overview of some of the more positive advances in the discipline. Concludes by calling for a whole systems approach to the study of second language acquisition. (Author/JL)

This study documents the sensitivity of English-French interlanguage to the process-result distinction with respect to the licensing of multiple postnominal genitives, despite a lack of direct positive or negative evidence for this distinction in the input. Documentation argues that the Universal Grammar-governed map between syntactic structures…

Suggests that second language research could provide answers to questions concerning the structure of first language grammars that cannot be answered by only examining first language data and intuitions. Examines homophony in phonology and morphology. (Author/VWL)

Argues that differences at the level of the categories of language alternation as they are observed in the literature are not mere terminological differences, but rather reflect theoretical and methodological differences. Adopts a praxis view of language, arguing that the notion of code and that of language are not necessarily equivalent.…

Describes two experiments that examined the acquisition of second language lexical fluency. Considers the implications of these results for models of the developing lexicon. (Author/VWL)

Reviews research related to the second language acquisition social context, and the interface of social context and interlanguage grammar. (Author/VWL)

Discusses two questions: (1) What has the recent research conducted in French immersion programs in Canada contributed to understanding of second language acquisition?; and (2) What has it contributed to the broader field of applied linguistics? Considers research in the coming decade, and discusses obstacles that may be faced in Canada in…

Summarizes the benefits of early foreign language learning, including the personal, cognitive, academic, professional, and societal benefits. (Author/VWL)

Addresses the relationship in second language acquisition (SLA) research between theory and data. Suggests a potential problem for the field of SLA; a lessening rigor in data analysis where theory moves more into focus. Documents how the problem manifests itself in a specific area of research in SLA--syntax and morphology--then discusses possible…

Gives a brief characterization of the ways second-language acquisition researchers use the computer to elicit second-language (L2) production data or to record how L2 learners process L2 input. Eight tasks and/or techniques are described. Discusses the use of computer technology in ongoing investigations that pertain to the acquisition of…

Argues that, contrary to what is believed by many in the field of applied linguistics, phonology can and should be taught to adult learners. The argument is based on a critical analysis of research on the teachability of phonology in a second language and on an examination of the nature of adult phonological acquisition. (Author/SM)

Evidence that native language acquisition is possible because children are born with an innate language faculty--universal grammar (UG)--is considerable. In second language acquisition by older learners, this notion is less clear. Discusses the poverty of stimulus phenomena (POS) in relation to this, and argues that while POS phenomena are…

Addresses the issue of how we know what learners know based on evidence from second language (L2) learners' spontaneous speech samples gathered longitudinally. Examines some of the problems involved in the analysis of spontaneous speech, with focus on second language studies within the generative framework. Considers the effects of the comparative…

In this experimental study, we focus on the following semantic universal: if a habitual clause reading, then generic pronominal subject; if an episodic clause reading, then specific pronominal subject. We argue that although this set of two conditionals is a universal property of all natural languages, English-speaking second-language (L2)…