Discusses what contributes to success in second-language acquisition, focusing on how cognitive and cultural styles affect a person's ability to study and learn a second language. (81 references) (GLR)

Explores research and theory regarding the relation between second-language acquisition and language universals research with respect to three phenomena: extraction; structure dependence; and the distribution of overt reflexives. (Author/CB)

Examines the production of yes/no questions by native speakers of English and speakers of Singapore English, a non-native regional variety. The findings suggest that what constitutes target-like use remains ill-defined as long as native speaker behavior is assumed, or intuited, rather than documented. (40 references) (GLR)

Examines the Child Language Data Exchange System (CHILDES), its organizational form, and its three major tools: (1) the CHILDES database of transcripts, (2) the CHAT system for transcribing and coding data, and (3) the CLAN programs for analyzing CHAT files. (GLR)

Reports a study that traces patterns of constancy and change in spelling errors as children's word knowledge advances during the elementary years. Reveals clear patterns of coherent change and underscores the persistent difficulty of certain features characteristic of English orthography. (MG)

Reports on an experiment designed to identify how contextual information can influence children's performance on an experimental task involving temporal terms. It is concluded that contextual information results in a significant improvement only when such information can be used to satisfy presuppositions. (Author/CB)

It is argued that the demise of traditional language teaching methods is due to their incompatibility with the dual nature of the brain's organization. The concept of neural "bimodality," with brain hemispheres receiving incoming stimuli in tandem, not separately, is described as a basis for discussion of brain-compatible language teaching. 63…

Literature on foreign language anxiety shows a considerable amount of ambiguity arising from conflicting results of past studies. An attempt is made to show that these difficulties can be resolved given an awareness of the theoretical perspective from which this research has developed. (Author/VWL)

Presents examples of how children acquire language through the principles-and-parameters model, a highly modular system in which different theories interact so that only permissible sequences arise, and highlights research on Spanish syntax and semantics. (136 references) (CB)

Briefly describes five dictionaries of the signed languages used in Australia, Mexico, Italy, New Zealand, and Thailand. (CB)

Discusses the concept of metalinguistic awareness and describes the administration of the Test of Metalinguistic Ability (TAM) to 300 Italian elementary school children. (34 references) (CFM)

A discussion focusing on the concept of metalinguistic awareness, particularly in bilingual children, precedes a discussion of metalinguistic awareness and its potential relationship with the cognitive advantages of bilingualism. The metalinguistic history and metalinguistic awareness of a subject, bilingual in German and English, are highlighted.…

Examines the rule that indefinite pronouns (everyone, anybody, each, someone, nobody) take singular verbs and singular pronouns for agreement. Explores its past, proposes a revision of the rule, and suggests modifications in its application based on analysis of its actual use in English. (SR)

Hudson addressed two issues on second-language acquisition: the validity of the multidimensional model and the application of developmental sequence findings to assessment and pedagogy. This response suggests that his lines of argument are based on serious conceptual flaws. (Contains 37 references.) (LB)

Discusses the types of overlapping speech, a common characteristic of speech that any annotation system must deal with. Critiques two types of current systems for marking overlaps. Describes software developed by the authors that not only accurately marks the boundaries of overlaps but presents them to the user in a readable format. (SR)