Extends the line of research that has recently applied the savings paradigm from cognitive psychology to vocabulary relearning. Second language data from 3044 returnees from Japan and Korea provide evidence of the strongest savings effect yet reported in studies of lexical reactivation. (Author/VWL)

Investigates the interactional rhythmicity among a group of four people and presents a new analytic model involving two parameters, floor and time. The model is used to further investigate the emic meaning of interactional rhythm and cross-cultural differences. (47 references) (GLR)

Comparison of the effectiveness of two story selection processes for English-as-a-Second-Language learners indicated that selecting "running" stories (a story and its follow-up articles) provided more repetition of low frequency words, better reduced vocabulary load, and provided better conditions for vocabulary acquisition than did selecting…

Demonstrates second-language acquisition (L2) is module and parameter sensitive. It is proposed that the acquisition of English by adult Japanese speakers is sensitive to the agreement parameter as well as the principle of structural government. (45 references) (GLR)

Present-day language policy for the Navajo reflects a lengthy history of attempts to suppress indigenous language varieties. Recent rationalization is rooted in the doctrine of compensatory education, but the suppression is even more total. Alternative policies and practices, rooted in a nonprescriptive view of language variety and progressive…

Investigation of the ethnolinguistic vitality perceptions of Jewish and Arab high school students in Israel showed that both groups' perceptions corresponded remarkably to objective reality in direction, although not in intensity, with the Jewish majority accentuating the differences and the Arab minority attenuating the differences. (Author/CB)

Discusses the "Russian Dynamic Hand," a working prototype for introducing the Russian writing and sound system that has been available to students at Louisiana State University since September 1988. The project's evolution is discussed from an initial graphics-centered IBM prototype to a Macintosh version enhanced by an audio component.…

Argues against the use of an alternative model of Language Awareness (LAw), which rejects Transformational Grammar-based applications of language study in favor of a semiotics-based approach, and presents examples of teaching English to native Bengali speakers to support the use of the more traditional LAw. (CB)

Analyzes interlanguage written discourse produced by advanced Tamil-speaking learners of English as a second language. Eight communication strategies are discussed, including: 1) extended use of lexical items; 2) lexical paraphrase; 3) word coinage; 4) native language (L1) equivalence; 5) literal translation of L1 idiom; 6) L1 mode of emphasis; 7)…

Analysis of longitudinal data on the phonetic development of Swedish infants (N=4) from 1 through 17 months of age showed five distinct stages in early vocalization development: glottal; velar/uvular; vocalic; reduplicated consonant babbling; and variegated consonant babbling. Comparison with infants of differing linguistic backgrounds indicated…

Analysis of four adult Quechua speakers' acquisition of clitic pronouns in Spanish revealed that educational attainment and amount of contact with monolingual Spanish speakers were positively related to native-like norms of competence in the use of object pronouns in Spanish. (CB)

Discussion of the Arabic version of "Sesame Street" addresses the choice of a simplified modern standard usage as the series' language, definition of this language variety in terms of its distinguishing linguistic characteristics, and the implications of this choice for the future of Arabic and Arabic language instruction. (Author/MSE)

The Japanese character set is used to describe electronic mail utilization in sending and receiving foreign character sets. Because electronic mail is fast, inexpensive, storable, and printable, it can accelerate the traditional letter writing process as well as act as a medium of instruction in correspondence courses and sending other…

Examines two proficiency testing models, the ACTFL/ETS Oral Proficiency Interview and another model developed at the University of Wisconsin, to determine which is more appropriate for use in academic settings and whether it is possible to combine the best of both models. (GLR)

A discussion of the perception and use of tense in Moroccan Arabic proposes that the language expresses verb aspect much more readily than tense. Implications for teaching Moroccan Arabic as a second language are discussed, and an analysis of the system of tense and aspect in the language is presented. (MSE)