This study considers some problems of reference found in figurative language, particularly in metaphor and metonymy. Analysis is based on the notion that the effects communicated by figurative language depend to a large extent on reference to more than one concept, experience, or entity, and that the presence of multiple potential referents…

Many of the Zapotecan (Mexico) languages have a unique way of signaling co-reference between the subject and the possessor of the object: the subject is null. Analysis of such a construction is problematic to current theories of anaphoric construction. In this analysis, the construction is described and the theoretical problem is underlined by…

Two non-syntactic phenomena of Japanese reflexive binding by "zibun" ("self") are analyzed with respect to a pragmatic use condition on "zibun," a culture-specific condition, and the Maxim of Politeness (Fukada 1986). The first phenomenon is the tendency by native speakers of Japanese to avoid referring to an honored…

A study of child language development that takes a combined developmental and functional view of language acquisition is reported. It has three parts. The first outlines a variety of functional approaches in linguistics, links linguistic theory with what is known about children's emerging conceptual and social development, particularly in the…

An analysis of the English lexical items "even" and "only" looks at features of their behavior in discourse and brings attention to certain unexamined aspects of their role in text. Their syntactic behavior is reviewed and some problems with previous interpretations are examined. The features of "even" are defined:…

The representation of labiovelars in feature geometry is discussed, using primarily evidence from Konni, a Gur language of northern Ghana, and data from some other languages. The discussion is based on an observation that place assimilation of a nasal consonant to labiovelars does not result universally in a labiovelar nasal, as has been theorized…

A study investigated patterns in plural marking in the English spoken in Hong Kong, largely as a second language. It focused on the effect of three types of prenominal morphemes: (1) those that are neutral with respect to plurality (e.g., "other, certain"); (2) modifiers indicating the noun should be marked for plural (e.g., "one of…

Speech perception research is reviewed and organized around issues relevant to second language acquisition. Issues discussed include the concept of a critical period for speech perception as well as the effects of linguistic training and/or linguistic experience on speech perception. Speech perception in bilinguals, the relationship between speech…

Current research on the contributions of neurobiology to the understanding of language, and more specifically of phonics, is reviewed. After an introductory section, the second section provides a brief historic perspective on neurolinguistic research, beginning in the early nineteenth century. The third section focuses on what is known about the…

This paper examines a specific aspect of systematic variability, which is taken to be a result of influence of linguistic context on interlanguage (IL) performance. While it is important to describe how or under what circumstances a linguistic context exerts an influence on IL development, one also needs to explain why it occurs. On the basis of a…

In order to empirically examine the claim that sign language varieties in Hong Kong developed partially from sign language varieties in Shanghai, this paper examines the intuitive judgements of Hong kong signers about the similarities and difference in basic vocabulary items in sign language varieties in Shanghai and in Hong Kong. Specifically,…

Replicating research originally performed with native speakers of English, this study investigated the mutability of vowels in Spanish. The study was based on the theory that when presented with non-words, native speakers are more likely to change the vowel than the consonant to arrive at an existing lexical item. It was hypothesized that if…

This collection of papers is from a conference held at Odense University, Denmark on recent research in language acquisition in children. Following an introduction by the editors, it contains the following papers: "Development in a Connectionist Framework: Rethinking the Nature-Nurture Debate" (Kim Plunkett); "Experimental Evidence…

A study explored the relationship between the second language (L2) production of the Spanish stop consonants /p/ and /b/. Subjects were native English-speaking students enrolled in an undergraduate Spanish phonetics course. Data were collected on their production of Spanish /p,b/ in sentence context, and on their perceptual boundary between the…

This report focuses on the communication that takes place between nurses and patients in a hospital setting. Nurses have for years been accused of talking at patients rather than talking to them. They have also been accused of using a language that patients do not know. The problem is partly a result of individual roles within the medical…