A pilot study attempting to determine the feasibility and value of a cognition-based study of classifiers in Chinese demonstrated that the use of the classifier "tiao" was not an arbitrary linguistic device of categorization, but represented some type of human categorization based on an imputed salient perceptual property of extension of…

Examines the rationale for research into what constitutes sociopragmatic competence; reviews a series of relevant empirical studies; and reports on one such study of requests, thanks, and apologies made by native speakers and non-native learners of French. (23 references) (GLR)

Proposes that a second-language acquisition research paradigm using Universal Grammar (1) did not consider the paradigm's theoretical and logical basis; (2) simplistically interpreted the parameter-setting paradigm; (3) and made false assumptions regarding statistical analysis methods and regarding the empirical facts of language processing. An…

Analyzes longitudinally the acquisition of Yes-No questions by beginning English-as-a-Second-Language students. The students' rates of learning went through evolutions similar to those observed among students in other studies. The findings support the existence of universal principles of language acquisition even in foreign-language learning. (28…

Discusses bilingualism in written cuneiform texts from ancient Babylonia and Sumeria. Describes the development of formats and techniques that enabled two or more languages on a single document to coexist harmoniously and productively. (SR)

Looks closely at the nature of the bilingual edition and the specific problems that it presents to the translation theorist. Examines publishers' strategies, the translator's introduction and notes, and reading strategies. Comments on the importance of the translation process. (SR)

Examines two works, "Pnin" (1957) and "Pale Fire" (1962), by writer Vladimir Nabokov, a polyglot with strong metalinguistic awareness. Shows how Nabokov used a polylinguistic matrix to create a subtext partially accessible to monoglots but only fully comprehensible to those who know several languages, literatures and histories.…

Compares hypertext to an encyclopedia of nonsequential writing or collection of writings through which the reader is free to move in any sequence. Discusses the advantages and problems involved in hypermedia systems. (NH)

Tracing Appalachian speech to different areas of the British Isles entailed researching hard-to-find linguistic studies and original texts in Belfast, Edinburgh, and other locations. The Scotch-Irish contribution significantly outweighs that from Southern Britain and appears much more responsible for the grammatical features of Appalachian…

Compared responses of English-French bilinguals performing semantic categorization and lexical decision tasks using translation-priming stimuli. Using the same stimuli, priming effects were significantly stronger in semantic categorization than in lexical decision, suggesting the translation-priming effect in the former is mediated by semantic…

By examining data on historical changes in pitch accent plus data from present-day speech analysis, the article concludes that suprasegmental changes are in progress in both Japanese and English languages. Although English and Japanese use different phonetic resources to implement accentuation, vacillation in their respective suprasegmental…

Speculates about one possible future where language and social interaction hijacks much of the action that would have been considered the province of cognitive psychology, respecifying and reorienting it as it does so. In this, language and social interaction becomes a fundamental discipline in the social sciences. (Author/VWL)

Proposes that language and social interaction (LSI) scholars can contribute to interdisciplinary efforts aimed at understanding and responding to child physical abuse. Discusses reasons why LSI scholars might shy away from such study and considers links between face-to-face family interaction and child physical abuse, demonstrating the relevance…

In relation to research on the teaching of second language acquisition, this article provides an example of one project to point out study techniques and to caution about ethical practices. (Author/VWL)

Examines crosslinguistic variation in "filler-gap dependencies" (wh-questions and relative clauses) from a processing perspective, and integrates research findings from psycholinguistics, language typology, and generative grammar. Numerous implicational universals and hierarchies are proposed that receive a natural explanation in terms…