Compares sentence grammar with text linguistics, giving a survey of the treatment of indirect discourse in school grammars, and finding them inadequate. Recommends rules derived from text linguistics in spite of their greater complexity, because they do not hold the student to mechanical recasting of sentences. (IFS/WGA)

Argues for a reconceptualization of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research in order to enlarge the ontological and empirical parameters of the field. Claims that methodologies, theories, and foci within SLA reflect an imbalance between cognitive and mentalistic orientations, and social and contextual orientations to language, the former…

Examines the question of variation among interviewers of oral language proficiency interviews in the ways that they elicit demonstrations of communicative ability and the impact of this variation on candidate performance and raters' perceptions of candidate ability. A discourse analysis of two interviews involving the same candidate with two…

Analyzes interlanguage written discourse produced by advanced Tamil-speaking learners of English as a second language. Eight communication strategies are discussed, including: 1) extended use of lexical items; 2) lexical paraphrase; 3) word coinage; 4) native language (L1) equivalence; 5) literal translation of L1 idiom; 6) L1 mode of emphasis; 7)…

Examination of the accommodation process in interlanguage discourse in a foreign language focused on the effects of various accommodation and negotiation strategies. Dyads of English as a second language students with different proficiency levels accommodated each other in ways similar to interaction between native and non-native speakers.…

This paper argues that schema theory and discourse analysis demonstrate that flow charts, grids, and tree diagrams are the most effective models of how the mind organizes ideas in information sets. It shows how each of these frameworks can be used as the central device in an integrated model of language learning. (15 references) (MDM)

Semiotics can be a useful tool for analysis in language learning situations. This is particularly true for delineating student comprehension and the familiarity/strangeness aspects of discourse or texts. Use of semiotics can help differentiate the problems facing learners of French as a native language from those facing learners of French as a…

Investigated the relative importance of various grammatical and discourse features in the evaluation of second-language writing samples produced by college students enrolled in beginning and intermediate French courses. Three native-speaking instructors of French rated 172 essays using a scale that was constructed by a researcher and based on…

A model of bilingual classroom discourse is presented as a set of communicational frames illustrated by data from secondary English classes in Hong Kong. Discussion addresses the difficulty faced by teachers in second-language contexts to encourage communication and participation in a way that does not marginalize the second language. (Author/VWL)

A crucial component of academic lectures is the use of chunks, phrases, and body language, and their role in facilitating understanding. This article examines the function and context of this component in the discourse of academic lectures. (Author/VWL)

A collection of Webchat interaction data among English non-native speakers (NNS) and native speakers (NS) is the basis for a microanalytic investigation conducted from a conversation analysis (CA) perspective. The main purpose is to discover patterns and conversational strategies used by participants in this on-line context. (Author/VWL)

Discusses key issues of late modern society that help make a case for critical awareness of discourse: the relationship between discourse, knowledge, and social change in the information or knowledge-based society; the "textually-mediated" nature of contemporary social life; the relationship between discourse and social difference; the…

Discusses the use of student journals as a means of assessing the intellectual journey taken by students through a postgraduate course in critical language awareness. Shows how students construct their multiple identities in their journals and how these identities are transformed or conserved as they enter a new discourse community. (Author/VWL)

A review of research on second-language writing looks at literature in four areas: research attempting to understand the norms and demands of writing; studies focusing on understanding students, their composing, and their texts; research on the functions of second-language writing instruction and classroom interaction between teacher and learner;…

Analyzes an ethnographic study of child second language (L2) learning, focusing on the disputes that two of the children engaged in. Data reveal how these language events both reflected and helped shape the identities of the children in ways that influenced their opportunities for L2 learning. (Author/VWL)