Examination and comparison of the changes in movement trajectories of two initially naive American Sign Language (ASL) students during an introductory ASL course found that their movement pattern increased in speed, symmetry, and replicability and grew more constrained in amplitude as the semester progressed. (Author/CB)

Reviews the changing trends in foreign language research and curricular content during the mid-1960s and the late 1970s, and describes how the various foci on normative and pragmatic language learning have shaped and expanded foreign language instruction. New challenges for instructional self-assessment and expansion stem from research on…

Examines three experimental studies deriving from contrastive analysis predictions and error analysis insights into deviances from expected target language forms. Each of these studies predate the Interlanguage hypothesis. (CB)

Views writing instruction as the techniques and approaches used by the teacher, as well as the learner's whole experience in the writing classroom. Drawing on research on writing in both first- and second-languages, an analysis focuses on the different aspects of writing instruction. (61 references) (Author/VWL)

Reviews key issues generally addressed in studies of language attrition, including the effects of instructional methods on long-term retention, the effects of proficiency level on attrition, attrition's different effects on various language skills, typical forgetting curves, and typical attrition orders. 26 references.(CB)

Reviews research on first- (L1) and second-language (L2) acquisition of English articles, and adds to this literature a study f a(n), the, and the null article in the speech of (n=30) second-language learners. Both differences and similarities emerge between the L1 and L2 patterns of acquisition. (31 references) (Author/VWL)

Discusses attempts made in the United States and elsewhere to develop prognostic tests that would justify decisions to exclude unqualified students from high school foreign-language classes. After the Second World War, U.S. government language programs supported research in the assessment of language aptitude to improve selection techniques. (36…

This paper explores ways in which the wholesale transfer of assumptions from first-language (L1) literacy can sometimes complicate the process of acquiring second-language (L2) literacy. Using methods of narrative inquiry, the article describes attempts to reach a better understanding of L2 literacy through an autobiographical study of Chinese…

Reviews recent research on crosslinguistic influence, focusing on the part played by knowledge of one's first language in the acquisition of a second language (L2). It is also argued that there can be transfer that is not licensed by similarity to the L2, and where the way the L2 works may largely go unheeded. (86 references) (MDM)

Reviews recent research on language maintenance and language loss, focusing on the loss of a second language in a first language environment, the linguistic aspects of loss, and relearning a "lost" language. An annotated bibliography discusses nine important works in the field. (43 references) (MDM)

The processing strategies described by Clahsen to explain the development of German word order make predictions. Some experimental results show that inverted sentences result in significantly shorter response times than uninverted sentences for nonnative speakers but that native speakers do not respond at all to the inverted-uninverted contrast.…

Reviews the findings of the 3 research articles in this issue, focusing on Lardiere's claim that only 2 of the 15 Spanish-speakers in her study treated regular and irregular plurals differently. It is argued that Lardiere arrived at this classification arbitrarily. (five references) (MDM)

Explores the concept of language awareness (LA) in relation to the acquisition of two languages by young children, examining the bilingual development of two toddlers and factors that affect bilingual development and outcomes. Suggests that communicative intent, rather than traditional tests, is a key variable in determining how LA is to be…

Discusses how collaborative learning (CL) can be used in a computer-assisted learning (CAL) environment for language learning, reviewing research in the fields of applied linguistics, educational psychology, and artificial intelligence. An application of CL and CAL in the learning of French as a Second Language, focusing on interrogative…

Examines code-switching and code-mixing behavior of a child learning English and Cantonese simultaneously. The choice of code was dependant on socialization, and code-mixing was dependent on base language. (14 references) (LT)