Focuses on one particular psychological dimension, extraversion-introversion. The relatively small number of linguistic studies in which extraversion is focused on as an independent variable suggests that applied linguists believe it unrelated to speech production or language learning. Argues that this suspicion is based on a misunderstanding…

Reviews issues from the fields on bilingual and special education that relate to language assessment of linguistically diverse students. Presents analysis of traditional language assessments as well as two alternate approaches--descriptive and dynamic. Presents recommendations for the valid use of language assessment by school psychologists.…

Compares young and older adults' production of complex syntactic structures in Russian. Finds that content and fluency in Russian were associated with Russian vocabulary knowledge and influenced by educational level and knowledge of English and other languages and that working-memory limitations affect the use of clause and word order variations…

Introduces the Knowledge Digraph Contribution (KDC) data-analysis methodology for quantitatively measuring the degree to which a given knowledge digraph can account for the occurrence of specific sequences of propositions in recall, summarization, talk-aloud and question-answering protocol data. Notes the applicability of this approach to the…

Illustrates use of Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) for predicting coherence through reanalyzing two studies that manipulated coherence of texts and assessed readers' comprehension. Finds that LSA predicts effects of text coherence on comprehension. Notes that LSA can be applied as an automated method that produces coherence predictions similar to…

Argues that researchers in the area of discourse comprehension and mental representation of discourse will likely feel motivated to adopt highly quantitative research techniques described in the articles in this special issue. Notes that ability to do so will be enhanced by availability of well-documented, easy-to-use computer software, or…

Notes that memory-based text processing (MBP) is a label that has been used to refer to a theoretical perspective shared by contributors to this special issue. Defines the domain addressed by MBP; identifies the major shared assumptions of researchers representing the MBP perspective; and raises some challenges for MBP researchers. (SR)

Three experiments used a visual fixation technique to examine whether toddlers interpret speech continuously. Found that 24-month-olds had delayed responses when a competing distractor picture's label overlapped phonetically with the target at onset, but not when the pictures' labels rhymed, showing that children monitored speech stream…

Notes that students often find difficulty with the language used in the learning of and assessment of mathematics. Reports on a study that analyzes questions from a 1996 Higher School Certificate Mathematics in Society examination in New South Wales. Makes suggestions on changing the language of the assessment to make the mathematics in it more…

Addressed whether hierarchical relations and word order can be separated in sentence production. Assessed in two experiments whether subject-verb agreement errors require linear proximity of a so-called "local" noun to the verb. Found evidence for a stage in language production in which a syntactic structure is built prior to stage in which words…

Describes the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), a private, non-profit, non-affiliated organization in Washington, DC (with a satellite division in Sarasota, Florida). CAL conducts a wide range of activities, including research, teacher education, analysis and dissemination of information, design and development of instructional materials,…

Discusses one form of repetition found in ordinary conversation, a form where a speaker produces a first saying, and subsequent to that, a second saying within the same turn. Proposes that this particular form of repetition is used by speakers as a storytelling technique in the accomplishment of the action of resumption. (Author/VWL)

Examines whether storybook exposure and the amount of teaching in reading and writing skills reported by middle-class parents were related to oral language skills and written language skills of kindergarten children. Shows that storybook exposure explained statistically significant unique variance in children's oral language skills but not in…

Argues that there are potential benefits in incorporating computer-based text analyses into methods for researching talk and educational activity in classrooms. Discusses the strengths and weaknesses of some existing approaches to the study of talk and collaborative activity and suggests ways that computer-based analysis of transcribed talk can…

Circumlocution can prevent communication breakdown and is a required function at the Advanced level on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Scale. To encourage this communicative strategy, researchers conducted a study of two intermediate college French classes: one that encouraged circumlocution and…