Discusses the theories of contrastive analysis and error analysis in second language learning with regard to the idea that a language closely related to one's own native language is easier to learn that a remotely related one. (EKN)

Presents study constructed to consider what kind of errors of misperception of English pronunciation by Japanese are revealed in dictation. Results show errors of segmental sounds are caused by interference from Japanese. Believes dictation provides means of exact, immediate, and simple key feedback to learner. (Author/BK)

Compares phonetic implementation of the stop-voicing contrast produced in Arabic by Saudi Arabians and by both Americans and Saudis in English. Saudis used temporal aspects of voicing in Arabic while speaking English. This caused few communication problems, with the exception of the phoneme (p), which has no Arabic counterpart. (Author/PJM)

Presents a comparison study of language learning in American children and adults using various Japanese locatives. The subjects were pre- and posttested to determine if locatives that were semantically similar to their English equivalents would yield better transfer than terms that deviated in meaning and phonemic structure in English. (BK)

Prior to a Thai language learning session, subjects were exposed to recorded Thai conversation, Japanese conversation, or music. The subjects exposed to Thai produced more words than subjects exposed to music or Japanese. The subjects exposed to Japanese produced the fewest words. (Author/RL)

Considers interference problems of Arabic-speaking learners of French and English on four levels: single-word; grammar-rule; intonation; and the study of French and English literature. (CB)

Details six major research findings regarding second-language acquisition, including transitional stages for acquiring syntax; fixed-order emergence of grammatical morphemes; language acquisition progress from unmarked to marked elements; first-language influence; rule-governed learner output; and learner access to input. (27 references) (CB)

Examines research on learning related vocabulary, such as lexical sets, a unit of vocabulary or specific items sharing certain formal or semantic features. This research shows that learning related words at the same time makes learning them more difficult and suggests that this difficulty can be avoided if related words are learned separately.…

Highlights current thinking on transfer or crosslinguistic influence in second language acquisition and discuses implications for second language teaching. (Author/VWL)

Inexact uses of adverbs by students of Russian which are believed to be caused in part by native language interference are discussed. (RM)

Pessimism regarding pedagogical applications of contrastive studies, and reasons therefore, are described. Several misunderstandings believed to contribute to this pessimism, and several areas of controversy concerning uses of contrastive studies, are discussed. See FL 508 197 for availability. (RM)

The aim of this article is to account for some of the difficulties facing speakers of Polish learning Finnish and vice versa. (Author/RM)

Describes a research study into this pronunciation problem. It was found that: (1) the subjects tended to substitute stops and affricates more readily than sibilants and fricatives; (2) there was considerable /s z/ substitution, but no/f v/ substitutions; (3) the pattern of subsitutions proved independent of the level of English proficiency. (RM)

A GROUP OF 136 STUDENTS IN GERMAN ONE, TWO, AND THREE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY PARTICIPATED IN AN EXPERIMENT IN WHICH TESTS WERE MADE OF THEIR PRONUNCIATION OF INITIAL GERMAN "S" CLUSTERS (THOSE WHICH ARE SPELLED "S--" AND THOSE SPELLED "SCH--"). THIS PARTICULAR PRONUNCIATION PROBLEM WAS SELECTED BECAUSE THE GERMAN AND ENGLISH…