A number of observations are made of deviations from standard Italian made by students, both of Italian and non-Italian origin, in the Victorian H.S.C. examinations, with discussion of probable English, French and Italian dialectal influences. (RM)

This study attempts to determine whether the syntactic errors children make while learning a second language are due to native language interference or to developmental cognitive strategies, as has been found in first language acquisition. (Author)

Examines the difficulties encountered by native speakers of American English with initial consonant clusters in Russian. The phonotactic patterns and articulatory and auditory properties of individual consonants in both languages are compared. Testing explores the relationship of native articulatory habits, the reception of aural stimuli and…

This article makes two points about foreign language: (1) proper pronunciation is indispensable to initial accuracy and comprehension, as well as to later study of literature and culture; and (2) the best approach to pronunciation is based on the native language as a contrastive model. Taking as an example the learning of German by…

The psychological problem of interference is analyzed and its significance for the instruction of the target language is outlined from following viewpoints: behavioral aspects, the system theory of van Parrerens and Chomsky's model of generative language acquisition. (Text is in German.) (IFS/MS)

In the "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" appear periodically the so-called "Filser Letters," in which current topics are presented in incorrect English, reflecting German structure and vocabulary. These might be used in Secondary Grade II, from a contrastive point of view. A sample "Filserbrief" is presented. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Discusses several objections to Krashen's Input Hypothesis which states that language acquisition is the learners' understanding of a language at a stage slightly higher than their current one because of their understanding of extralinguistic cues of the language. (Author/LMO)

Draws on findings in psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, and social psychology in order to document the factors involved in second language acquisition and the implications for the classroom teacher. Pays particular attention to the theory that second language acquisition follows a similar process to first language acquisition as contrasted with…

Describes a study which tested the proposal that adults learning second languages transfer errors from their first language (L1) to their second language (L2) when the L1 has activated a parameter of Universal Grammar which is not operative in the L2. The subjects were native Spanish speakers learning English. (SED)

Uses data from English-speaking children learning French in the Toronto French Immersion Program as evidence to support the 1981 study by Gundel and Tarone on the acquisition of pronouns by Chinese- and Spanish-speaking adults learning English. This study concluded that the acquisition of direct object pronouns proceeds in three stages. (SED)

Four major difficulties encountered by Iraqi learners of English when pronouncing English vowels are outlined and discussed, and suggestions for the teacher of English are made. (RM)

Describes a study of "analogy" and "interference" errors in the syntax of second language learners. (Author/RM)

A classification of a number of common errors in English pronunciation committed by Bengali learners. (RM)

Research supported by a grant from the University of Connecticut Research Foundation. (RS)