Examines controversial interactions between children, a group generally overlooked in second-language acquisition research. Specifically, the research focuses on (1) whether children can negotiate for meaning, (2) what strategies they use, and (3) whether there are differences between the ways adults and primary school children negotiate for…

This article reports the results of research that uses the analysis of metaphor to explore how English-as-Second-language teachers view their roles. (Author/VWL)

Discusses selected theories of second-language acquisition and their implications for developing a computer-assisted language-learning tool for learners of German,"Textana." Textana was planned as a generic text production tool to provide help to learners in outlining, editing, and postediting texts in German as a foreign language. (Author/VWL)

Examines when and how much the target language (TL) should be used in second language and foreign language teaching and why. Agrees with the view that second and foreign language teachers should maximize their use of the TL, and argues that doing so benefits students' TL proficiency. Highlights disadvantages when teachers rely too heavily on the…

Examines the role of tension in the process of instructed second/foreign language acquisition on the basis of findings from a comprehensive ethnography of the 7-week intensive beginners' class in the summer French School of Middlebury College. This project completes and challenges the current research paradigm on language anxiety as it shifts the…

Applies two tests--local acceptability and international intelligibility--to four varieties of Nigerian English. Only one variety passes both tests, one that is associated with the most highly educated or sophisticated Nigerian speakers of the language and is intelligible internationally. (JP)

Argues that further progress in applied linguistics and second-language acquisition will be achieved through collaboration with researchers in other fields. Three examples of research problems are provided that would profit from collaboration with applied linguists: the definition of language proficiency, the neural basis of language functioning,…

Examines theoretical views of language use, learning, and teaching that underlie the work on tasks. Two broad and disparate views are identified: the psycholinguistic perspective and a perspective based on sociocultural theory. (Author/VWL)

Discusses recent changes in Chinese as a second/foreign language (CSL/FL) teaching and research, examining the diversification of contexts for CSL/FL learning in terms of learners needs, and advances in language learning research over the past 25 years that can provide a basis for informing teachers' choices in the classroom. (Author/VWL)

Considers recent research in which peer dialogue has been examined with the purpose of understanding its impact on second language learning. Reviews research from the perspective of a sociocultural theory of mind that claims cognition and knowledge are dialogically constructed. (Author/VWL)

Describes a think-aloud protocol study exploring translation processes of degree-level language students when dealing with culture-specific lexis. Found that one of the students' main problems was a fixation on questionable word-level parameters at the expense of text-level processes. (Author/VWL)

Reviews research in second language acquisition that has examined the influence of syllable structure universals on the structuring of interlanguage phonology. (Author/VWL)

Reviews empirical research carried out over the last 20 years in three distinct areas: (1) the characteristics of the texts learners produce; (2) the processes of students' composing; and (3) the sociocultural contexts where learning to write occurs. (Author/VWL)

Comments on Lindstromberg's (2001) article that argues that prepositional representation in dictionaries is frequently inadequate. Suggests that Lindstromberg's arguments are not exhaustive, and that he fails to include crucial psycholinguistic studies and to relate his views to current linguistic theories. (Author/VWL)

Advancements in the design and use of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) activities require that key questions about CALL be identified and effective research methods be used to answer them. This article suggests looking to research on other types of second-language (L2) classroom activities for guidance in framing CALL research questions…