This paper argues that second language instruction that aims to foster speaking skills and natural spoken interaction should be based upon the grammar of the spoken language, and not on grammars that reflect written norms. Using evidence from a corpus of conversational English, this examination focuses on how four grammatical features that occur…

This is an introductory study of the mutual intelligibility among the various dialects and languages in the Manitowinini family. Specific languages considered include Powhatan, Lenape, Natick, Otchipwe, and Nanticoke. The goal of the study is not merely to comprehend inter-tribal relations better, but also to discover the actual…

THE WORK PRESENTED IN THIS STUDY IS AN INVESTIGATION OF THE SOCIAL CONTEXT OF LANGUAGE. THE COMPLEXITY OF THE ENGLISH DIALECT SPOKEN IN NEW YORK CITY PARALLELS THE COMPLEXITY OF THE CITY'S CHANGING SOCIAL STRUCTURE. DATA GATHERED FROM THE LARGER SPEECH COMMUNITY SHOW THAT THE VARIATION IN INDIVIDUAL SPEECH PATTERNS IS REFLECTED IN A HIGHLY…

This study of the linguistic acts of assenting and confirming is inspired by an attempt to create instructional materials for the learning of spoken English as a second language, with communicative competence as a goal. Observations are based on several hours of informal conversation between native speakers of English, mostly students and…

This book contains eight papers. (1) "The Uses of Error Analysis and Contrastive Analysis." Use of error linguistics may illuminate normal language processes. This paper outlines procedures and applications of error and contrastive analysis. (2) "The Identification and Evaluation of Errors in Foreign Languages: A Functional Approach." The concern…

A historical perspective of French grammar is developed in this chronologically arranged reader. Part One includes material on French grammar from the 16th to the 19th century: (1) the "Premiere Epoque": 1530-1660, (2) the general grammar of Port-Royal, and (3) the "philosophical grammars" treating syntax, sentence structure, and discourse…

Chorti, a Mayan language spoken in eastern Guatemala, is analyzed in this paper on the basis of a story text provided by an adult native speaker. A phonological description of Chorti is presented for background information; syllables, suprasegmentals, pause groups, articulation, and phonological rules are all considered. The author presents the…

This syntactic analysis of Egyptian colloquial Arabic is based on the author's dialect which he designates as educated Cairene. This study offers a phonological as well as morphological background for the grammar of this particular dialect. The basic syntactic approach used is immediate constituent analysis. String analysis and transformational…

Using a small corpus of classroom discourse from graduate business administration seminars, some language features of student-led discussion are identified, then considered in relation to syllabus content. The fruitfulness of a discourse-based approach to both description of formal spoken-language genres and to classroom methodology is discussed.…

The results of a survey in Sweden concerning the linguistic influences of English in that country are reported. Specifically, the spread and reception of three types of loans from English (direct, translation, and construction) are examined, as well as the use of the English plural and spelling with direct loans. The variables investigated include…

This volume of papers reports the fieldwork and linguistic analysis done on K'ekchi, a Mayan language spoken by about 500,000 people in the departments of Alta Verapaz and Peten in Guatemala as well as in the southern part of Belize. The work was done by five anthropology and linguistics graduate students at the University of Texas at Austin with…

In this document black English is discussed in terms of its artistic and creative elements. A schematic design for the analysis of the artistic dimensions of language is presented. The "black" way of saying things, or sense of language, is described as putting a premium not only on how words function but also on how they sound. Various examples of…

DESIGNED AS A SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR PROFESSIONALS PREPARING INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS, PLANNING COURSES, OR DEVELOPING CLASSROOM TECHNIQUES FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAMS, A SERIES OF STUDIES HAS BEEN PREPARED THAT CONTRASTS, IN TWO VOLUMES FOR EACH OF THE FIVE MOST COMMONLY TAUGHT FOREIGN LANGUAGES IN THE UNITED STATES, THE SOUND AND GRAMMATICAL…

DESIGNED AS A SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR PROFESSIONALS PREPARING INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS, PLANNING COURSES, OR DEVELOPING CLASSROOM TECHNIQUES FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAMS, A SERIES OF STUDIES HAS BEEN PREPARED THAT CONTRASTS, IN TWO VOLUMES FOR EACH OF THE FIVE MOST COMMONLY TAUGHT FOREIGN LANGUAGES IN THE UNITED STATES, THE SOUND AND GRAMMATICAL…

FOUR NEW DIRECTIONS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING REFLECT THE IMPORTANCE OF USING INSIGHTS FROM OTHER DISCIPLINES TO STIMULATE NEW APPROACHES TO OLD PROBLEMS. FIRST, FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING MATERIALS AND METHODS MUST BE BASED ON ACCURATE DESCRIPTIONS AND CROSS-CULTURAL COMPARISONS OF THE SYSTEMS OF COMMUNICATIVE SIGNALS WHICH PEOPLE PRODUCE AND…