We examine the second language (L2) acquisition of variable Spanish word order by first language (L1) speakers of English via the acquisition of unaccusative and transitive predicates in various focus-related contexts. We employ two bimodal linguistic tasks: (1) acceptability judgment task (B-AJT) and (2) appropriateness preference task (B-APT).…

One teacher's experience teaching Spanish to a gifted fourth grade class and a traditional class is reported. Three Foreign Language Experience Program (FLEX) objectives were used: promoting interest in a second-language and culture, fostering interest in future study, and exposing students to limited language in thematic settings to acquire…

A discussion of communicative language teaching of children of about eight focuses on their unique communication capacities and needs, particularly in the school environment, on the importance of teaching communication strategies as a social and linguistic tool, on developing metalinguistic competence, and on the role of the imagination in…

Integrates the phonological research concerns of two language-learning populations: (1) adults acquiring a second language, and (2) children learning to correct functional speech sound errors. The basic theoretical and pedagogical aims overlapped for the two populations, and the results of research on either population had strong potential for…

Papers presented at a 1977 symposium on language acquisition held at the University of Wisconsin/Milwaukee are included. Contents are as follows: "Assumptions, Methods and Goals in Language Acquisition Research" (Sheldon); "The Mother as LAD: Interaction between Order and Frequency of Parental Input and Child Production"…