Discusses the changing nature of linguistics following the advent of sociolinguistics, and explores the implications for language instruction. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

This article discusses the relationship in languages between passive forms and active forms from a psycholinguistic point of view. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

To explore adjective language development and examine its relationship to seriation, several tasks were given to 40 children aged 4-8. Comprehension and production of adjective forms were measured--vocabulary, coordination, comparison. Ability to order objects by size was used to assess intuitive-level seriation. (CHK)

Fourteen two-year-olds were presented with minimal word pairs in a new and efficient experimental perception paradigm. Data provide a view of relative difficulty of various minimal phonological contrasts for children. (CHK)

Experiments in eliciting true/false judgments from young children aged 3-5 used a "talking doll," a toy panda with a speaker installed. The procedure has been used in studies of language comprehension, communication skills, and free conversation experiments. (CHK)

Children aged 2 1/2-4 were asked questions containing comparative and superlative forms of adjectives in pairs designated as unmarked/marked or positive/negative. Differences in frequency of correct responses were greater between unmarked/marked pairs than between positive/negative pairs. No evidence appeared for a marking explanation of adjective…

An attempt to apply Blom's and Gumperz' model of code-switching to a small Swedish community in northern Sweden, Burtrask. The informants spoke standard Swedish, the Burtrask dialect, and a third variety which was a combination of the two. (CFM)

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…

Reviews recent research into the qualitative and quantitative aspects of fluency to more clearly define the word as a performance descriptor for oral assessment of foreign language learners and as an indicator of progress in language learning. The concept of fluency is confused and multilayered when used in the assessment of oral performance. (22…

Using extracts from a corpus of naturally occurring French conversation, this study examines how the collaborative construction of episodes of shared laughter contributes to the achievement of affiliation between interlocutors. Results show that how laughter is initiated, where it is placed, and who joins in are significant to the task of…

Analyzes the syntactic structure of noun phrases and verb phrases in recipes and cookery articles in the French press and argues that the complexity of writing about cooking parallels the complexity of the cooking process itself, demonstrating how syntax can reflect function and meaning in a restricted text-type. (Author/MSE)

Discusses the need for a strong ethical foundation in the social sciences, which include language testing. Proposes the need for a professional morality and explains the importance of such morality to individuals and other stakeholders. It is argued that the intrusive nature of language testing and the normative role of language tests raises…

Explains why Evald Ilyenkov (1924-79) is a serious cultural philosopher whose ideas are of enduring significance. Argues that Ilyenkov offers an intriguing vision of the relation of mind and world, which has radical implications for conceptions of thought, language, and human communication. Attempts to show that one thinker in the Soviet tradition…

Investigates English-as-a-Second-Language classes in Auckland, New Zealand to compare the frequency and characteristics of incidental focus on form episodes occurring in these classes. (Author/VWL)

Discusses new directions in contrastive rhetoric. Reviews research on contrastive rhetoric over the past 30 years and examines how contrastive rhetoric has been pursued with varying aims and methods in a variety of English-as-a-Foreign-language (EFL) situations involving academic and professional writing. (Author/VWL)