Concludes that insertion and omission miscues made by either good or poor readers at instructional or frustration levels cause little syntactic and semantic distortion, and that, consequently, time spent coding and interpreting such miscues is probably wasted. (FL)

Describes and analyzes features of teletypewriter (TTY) conversations, including patterned errors, openings and closings, and compensatory devices. Depicts several relationships among the characteristics of TTY users and relates features of their conversations to symbolic interactionist literature. (EKN)

Presents study of Japanese- and German-speaking children who were tested on the Sentence Comprehension Test to investigate understanding of various English grammatical structures. Concludes that learning of English as a second language in a natural milieu seems to pass through stages similar to those exhibited by monolingual English children.…

Evaluates, in pragmalinguistic terms, errors made in dialog initiating sequences and in responses made by advanced German students of English speaking with English partners. The errors are seen as revealing deficient language competence, both receptive and productive, rather than a lack of social competence. (IFS/WGA)

Attitudes toward and approaches to error in language learning depend on one's point of view: strictly linguistic, pedagogical, or that of the learner. This last approach is that "one learns by making mistakes," and from that perspective, there is no absolute definition of error, but only an operative one. (MSE)

Two implications of best-example theory for category acquisition were tested using a set of artificial concrete object categories. Categories acquired from initial exposure to good exemplars were learned more easily and accurately. People learn the best exemplars are category members before learning the poor exemplars are category members.…

Suggests a system for the descriptive analysis of oral reading errors and outlines methods for the functional analysis of errors. Concludes that oral reading error analysis promises to provide--in practical, diagnostic terms--a technique that is viable and remedially relevant, although it is still in the process of evolution. (GT)

Cites study which shows that children use three clearly defined spelling strategies regardless of the type of instruction and that children approach high frequency and low frequency words differently. Subjects were 46 first-graders, 57 second-graders, 51 third-graders, and 43 fourth-graders enrolled in various Michigan schools. (BF/JH)

The problem of native-language interference in learning English is discussed, with particular examination of English consonants and their difficulties for Czech and Slovak speakers. (CHK)

This article outlines the bases of the verbo-tonal method of correcting phonetic errors in second language learning, a method based on awareness of the phonological system of the learner's native language and its influence on the phonological system of the target language. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

Argues that an important type of child knowledge about letters is knowledge of the phonological structure of the letters' names in English. Concludes that learning the alphabet forms the basis for generalizations about the structure of letter names. (22 references) (Author/CK)

Investigates the applicability of the Subset Principle in the second-language acquisition of the Oblique-Case Parameter by 45 learners of French. The results of a grammaticality judgment task and a correction task provide partial support for the Subset Principle. Further research is needed to conclude whether the Oblique-Case Parameter really is a…

Semantic or vocabulary errors were measured among 6 children with autism and mild learning disability (ages 7-8) and 6 with mild learning disability. Vocabulary errors were similar, except under extension, which was not used by children with autism. Children with autism tended to use all mechanisms in order to name something. (Contains…

The article identifies specific problems in writing experienced by students with learning disabilities and offers remedial strategies. Considered are problems in spelling, punctuation, and grammar. An example of a case study to identify errors in writing mechanics is also offered. (DB)

Describes the use of tape recorders to give feedback about the English-as-a-Second-Language writing process. Tape-recorded feedback emphasizes natural responses to the writing as a whole unit of discourse between the teacher and the writer, and takes the focus away from sentence, clause-level, and surface-level structural errors. (CB)