Analysis of the phonological influence of English on Yoruba found such influences as violation of phonotactic constraints, assimilation of English sounds with those of Yoruba sounds, irregular phoneme correspondences, and resistance to new syllable types. (19 references) (Author/CB)

Focuses on the acquisition of sociolinguistic competence by second language learners during a period of study abroad. Various aspects of sociolinguistic competence are discussed and some of the principal factors that affect it are described. (Author/VWL)

Surveys the sociolinguistic background to the recognition of Hong Kong English and considers the arguments in favor of a paradigm shift in approaches to these issues. Reviews the history of English in Hong Kong and language planning and language policies in the late colonial period. Makes the case for recognition of Hong Kong English with…

Discusses one pronunciation feature shared by the vast majority of speakers of English in Fiji: the deletion of yod in non-primary stressed /Cju/ syllables. Considers variation in yod pronunciation according to ethnicity, age, gender, and education and examines whether yod deletion is a phonological shibboleth of Fiji English or merely a feature…

Explores aspects of linguistic variation and change in written Tok Pisin, an English-based pidgin/creole that is spoken in Papua New Guinea as a second language by over 1,5000,000 people and as a first language by over 20,000 people.(Author/VWL)

Examines the role of phrase-level parallelism on noun phrase number agreement and demonstrates Puerto Rican Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese exhibit more similarities than differences with regard to this constraint. Claims the phrase-level parallelism effect on noun phrase number agreement is embedded in a universal principle of linguistic use:…

Suggests ways that authentic speech for Spanish-language broadcasts intended for Spanish-speaking audiences in the United States can be used in the classroom to present not only idealized speech of the so called "educated native speaker," but also dynamic and current models of interlocutors from many nations, interacting effectively as…

In spoken German "weil" frequently occurs with verb-second (v2) word order instead of prescribed ver-last (vlast). This article provides an overview of the variation and its historical development and offers suggestions and materials for a linguistic unit in the advanced language classroom. Current research demonstrates that the variation is not…

There is broad agreement as to many of the segmental features of the Hong Kong accent of English: neutralisation of vowels which contrast in Standard Southern British English or General American, non-release of final stops, simplification of consonant clusters and devoicing of coda consonants. However, while it is apparent that there is no reason…

The advantages and disadvantages of wider or narrower definitions of "pidginization" and "pidgin" are reviewed to determine the differences between pidgins and naturalistically learned second languages (L2s). It is argued that a wider definition is preferred because it avoids problematic counterexamples and captures…

This study analyzed the accent perceptions of a group of 37 English language learners and 10 American undergraduate students. Each subject listened to a one-minute passage read by four speakers with different accents of English: General American, British English, Chinese English, and Mexican English. Participants then attempted to identify the…

This article first presents an overview of some trends behind the acquisition of sociolinguistic variation in a second language. A study is then presented that aims to test the validity of these trends in a quantitative study of a range of socio- and morpho-phonetic variables in French, including liaison, /l/ deletion, and subject-verb agreement…

The programs WordSmith and VocabProfile were used to research lexical differences between essays written in English by Spanish undergraduates and a set of essays independently judged as being of TWE grade 6 standard. The results indicated that writing by this group of students was generally characterised by low lexical variation, a preponderance…

The use of music in the foreign language classroom offers a unique approach to enhance students' awareness of another culture, and also can aid in the practice of communication skills. Music provides an interesting mirror of the history, literature, and culture of a country, that can be seen in song texts and in musical style. Musical styles and…

A study of the language use of 45 transitional Spanish-English bilinguals focused on subject pronoun usage patterns evolving when the bilingual has acquired both a prodrop (Spanish) and a non-prodrop (English) language and frequently switches between them. Subjects were of Mexican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican background, and had not attained the…