For English-language learners, comprehension can be hindered by a lack of understanding of homonyms, homophones, and homographs, but the right instructional strategies can alleviate this problem. Following a discussion of issues such as the importance of being aware of a student's literacy skills in his or her home language and the need to…

A simplified pattern of noun formation is outlined that can assist the German teacher in helping students understand constituent relationships in long or obscure German nouns, providing an overview of significant patterns that covers a relatively complete noun system. First, significant patterns in nouns outside the process of formation, and…

Lists the various ways superlatives may be formed in Spanish, e.g. by adding certain suffixes, by repetition of the adjective, etc. Also shows the forms and uses of superlatives at various levels of communication. (Text is in Spanish.) (TL)

This article discusses the semantics of the notion of focus, insofar as it relates to Filipino languages. The evolution of this notion is reviewed, and an alternative explanation of it is given, stressing the fact that grammar and semantics should be kept separate in a discussion of focus. (CLK)

Examines single centered, multicentered, and noncentered phrases in a tagmemic framework. (MSE)

Attempts to define the limitations of linguistic theory, and the possibilities of access at the discursive level, based on the hypothesis that there are two types of relatives. Examples are given in German; reference is made to the principles of machine discourse analysis. (Text is in French.) (Author/MSE)

An experiment in which prepositions are analyzed on a formal basis is reported. Results of the experiment are discussed. (RM)

Tenth of a regular series on contemporary Russian word formation, this article gives examples of: 1) four types of standard formation, 2) rare cases where compounds are produced with no combining vowel, and 3) appositive noun compounds. (Text is in German.) (TL)

Difficulties in transcription from the Hebrew to the Roman alphabet are discussed. The resolution of some of the problems in Judeo-Spanish texts using the "aljamiado" writing system are reviewed, including the use of some Hebrew consonants as vowels, representation of Judeo-Spanish sounds non-existent in Hebrew, and phonetic variations…

Questions and sentence completion tasks were used to investigate the ability of twenty-four 5-year-old and an equal number of 8-year-old children to explain actions in terms of intentions. When the children were given information about an action and a result, they were able to infer that the reason for the action was the agent's intention to…

Current usage of third person direct and indirect object pronouns in textbooks, literature, and oral language is examined, and graded exercises and techniques stressing the practical, communicative function of these pronouns are suggested. Classroom drills and variations are proposed based on an examination of 30 first-year college texts that…

Deletion of final /s/ in the Spanish noun phrase (NP) involves the morphological problem of loss of plural markers. A study investigated nominal plural markers in the speech of 20 Cubans representing both sexes and various occupations, ages, educational levels, and geographic areas of the island. Results show very little difference between the…

Discusses Italian adverbs that undergo gender/number agreement with noun phrases in particular environments and shows that the rules accounting for this agreement must be global. Classification of relevant adjectives and adverbs, and semantic considerations are discussed. Available from the MIT Press, 28 Carleton Street, Cambridge, MA 02142. (CLK)