Given that L1A of subject properties in non-null subject languages emerges later than that of null subject languages, this study aims at determining to what extent the same pattern of acquisition is observed in early child L2A in bilingual immersion settings where English and Spanish are both source and target languages. Using an elicited oral…

This article presents a selective overview of studies that have investigated auditory language processing in children and late second-language (L2) learners using online methods such as event-related potentials (ERPs), eye-movement monitoring, or the cross-modal priming paradigm. Two grammatical phenomena are examined in detail, children's and…

Thirty-two children (grades 1-3) of limited English proficiency participated in creative drama sessions over an eight-week period. Results of the study suggest that drama can be effective in stimulating syntactic growth and that interaction and purposeful communication are important in second-language instruction. (PD)

Examines some consequences of optimality theoretic constraint ranking and violability for the study of phonological development. The empirical base for the study is provided by previously unpublished data from a longitudinal corpus of phonetically transcribed speech from four English-learning children. (Author/JL)

Study of children who go through a "silent period" early in the course of second language development found that most of the children engaged in extensive private speech, including: repetition of others' utterances; recall and practice; creation of new linguistic forms; paradigmatic substitution; and rehearsal for overt social…

This study investigated patterns of acquisition of English and Japanese by a toddler, aged 16-23 months, living in Japan. The child's mother and father are British and Japanese, respectively. The focus of the study was on early grammatical morpheme and transformational rule acquisition as demonstrated in the child's utterances. The study is…

This book contains a collection of papers presented at the SEAMEO RELC International Seminar, held April 18-20, 2005. The sixteen papers contained in this volume deal with various aspects of the field of learning and teaching oral communications skills. These include the theoretical background, practical applications and the assessment of oral…

Reports on studies focusing on individual attrition of English as a Second Language in an environment where Hebrew is the dominant language. Age, sociolinguistic features, input variables, and linguistic variables are discussed as well as major trends of change in language use that identify a limited reversal of the acquisition process. 29…

A collection of research reports concerning language issues on Guam includes: "Language Survival, the Ideology of English and Education in Guam" (Robert A. Underwood); "American Policies and Practices Affecting Language Shift on Guam: 1898-1950" (Rosa S. Palomo); "Is Bilingual Education a Friend or Foe of the Indigenous…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 14 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the English reading competence of Navajo students in public and Bureau of Indian Affairs schools; (2) the effect of syntax on readability for Spanish-speaking…