Given the lack of empirical corpus-based frequency counts in many languages, it would be useful and of theoretical interest if judgements of relative frequency of words in a language by proficient speakers of that language could substitute objective frequency counts for the purposes of devising language teaching materials, tests, and research…

In this paper I examine the citations in recent review articles in applied linguistics to point out that there appears to be a distinct lack of overlap between references to work in four inter-related areas--reading, writing, speaking, and listening. I then point to areas of research where I think it particularly important to consider these…

This paper starts by examining recent work by applied linguists who argue that creativity is not only a property of especially skilled and gifted language users, but is pervasive in routine everyday practice. Also variously addressing literariness, language play and humour, this apparent democratization of creativity contributes to a more general…

This paper considers how fluent language users are rational in their language processing, their unconscious language representation systems optimally prepared for comprehension and production, how language learners are intuitive statisticians, and how acquisition can be understood as contingency learning. But there are important aspects of second…

Corpus-based vocabulary research has had a profound impact on English language education, and there is abundant evidence that this will remain the case for the foreseeable future. Perhaps the greatest challenge of such research is the determination of what constitutes a "Word" for counting and analysis purposes. Decisions in this regard have…

This study examines casual interactions between first language (L1) and second language (L2) speakers of Japanese, paying special attention to the coordination of vocal and non-vocal resources that are brought to bear on the achievement of intersubjectivity. More specifically, this study investigates a practice of "embodied completion" (Olsher…

Suggestions are presented for how the link between theoretical and applied phonology may be concretely defined for the purposes of research on second language phonological development. (71 references) (Author/VWL)

Assesses the contributions made by different approaches to interlanguage pragmatics as a subfield of second language acquisition. Discusses how four particular perspectives on pragmatic development relate to each other. (Author/VWL)

Cites research that the typical second language classroom experience of literature is indeed a task rather than a pleasure. Asks whether pleasure and learner-centeredness cannot be developed further than is usually the case to maximize the potential of literature for second language learners. (Author/VWL)

Contends that Lightbown (2000) manifests a misconception of the relationship between applied linguistics, second language acquisition, and language teaching. Suggests that it does so by failing to see he direct causal link between the field and the pre-1985 developments in language teaching, and by failing to address the unrecognized failure of…

Responds to Sheen's (2002) critique of a review article on the relationship between second language acquisition research and classroom second and foreign language teaching. The focus of the response is to clarify points made in both a 1985 and the 2000 articles and challenging Sheen's interpretation of those points. (Author/VWL)

This article discusses content schemata, formal schemata, and the newly-hypothesized abstract discourse schemata, asserting that empirical studies confirm that abstract schemata are more powerful owing to their greater generality than formal schemata, which in turn are superior to content schemata. (118 references) (MDM)

References to developmental stages and continua seem to be part and parcel of investigations into the acquisition of new grammars. Nonetheless, there seems to be an equivocation in the literature about which is actually the most helpful way of explaining how learner grammars evolve through time. Some see development essentially as gradual growth…

We show how emergence offers new explanations for the behaviour of metaphorically-used expressions. Analysis of metaphors in two types of natural language data are combined: detailed analysis of continuous discourse, which offers wealth of context and the possibility of monitoring emergent forms as the discourse unfolds, and computer-assisted…

Presents the results of two studies that examined epenthesis before three word-initial onsets of the form /sC1/ in English (where C1 represents a voiceless stop). One study examined whether frequency of epenthesis before /sC1/ was influenced by environment; the second study tested three specific statistical hypotheses based upon results from the…