John Swales's 1986 article "Citation analysis and discourse analysis" was written by a discourse analyst to introduce citation research from other fields, mainly sociology of science, to his own discipline. Here, I introduce applied linguists and discourse analysts to citation studies from information science, a complementary tradition not…

Examines how medical writers discuss matters they believe to be true, possible, and untrue, drawing on research papers from medical journals. To conclude, a discussion of teaching difficult concepts in medical reading and writing is presented. (80 references) (Author/CK)

Discusses prominent base units of discourse analysis designed for dealing with structural characteristics of second-language discourse, and offers arguments in favor of selecting the utterance as a valuable base unit. (95 references) (GLR)

Argues that the study of natural sign languages can enhance understanding of what language really is. The aspects of sign language that are similar and dissimilar to the characteristics of spoken language are described. (Author/CB)

Reports on one important component of language by means of which scientific Research Article (RA) writers structure textual interaction with the external community, namely choices of unmarked theme, i.e., grammatical subject. A functional analysis is presented that reveals how the changing discourse roles of subjects throughout scientific RAs…

Six major points in Griffiths and Sheen's paper are refuted and corrected. Insights are suggested that second-language acquisition (SLA) researchers might gain from a genuine reappraisal of field dependence/independence in SLA research. (39 references) (Author/LB)

Investigation of the accuracy of novice learners of British Sign Language (BSL) and sign-naive subjects in recognizing possible and impossible BSL signs and in naming signs suggests that rated iconicity and the ability to process potentially meaningful gestures, determined recognition and naming accuracy. (19 references) (Author/CB)

Explores the claim that successful second-language acquisition (SLA) is the result of social, psychological, and affective factors; the argument that this claim has been falsified is untenable. Exploration of behavioral, psychological, and biological constructs to generate new formulations is a more productive approach to SLA theory building than…

Reviews the developing commitment in U.K. educational policymaking to evidence-based practice and its implications for applied linguistics research. Examines the particular history of grammar pedagogy in U.K. foreign language education, documenting its decline and recent revival. International literature on form-focused instruction is examined to…

Responds to claims regarding second-language acquisition (SLA) research. The claims refer to the existence of multiple theories in SLA research, relativism in the field and acceptability and testing of findings. The article argues that SLA is a process of exploration and speculation rather than one of discovery and proof and suggests that SLA is…

Argues for refinement in the traditional approach to transfer in second language acquisition (SLA), where transfer is generally investigated as the unidirectional influence of native (or other language) knowledge on acquisition and use of a second language. Shows transfer can be bidirectional, influencing an individual's use of both the first and…

Attempts to overcome methodological problems in studies of vocabulary size. Problems occur when trying to answer the following three questions: (1) how do we decide what to count as words; (2) how do we choose what words to test; and (3) how do we test the chosen words? (31 references) (Author/VWL)

Examines the work of two scholars who have made the greatest contributions to the variabilist perspective on second-language acquisition, and discusses the acquisition models that each of these scholars has proposed. (50 references) (Author/VWL)

Study of the pragmatics of politeness conventionally draws on conversational data, but can be extended to some genres of written text. A framework is described that analyzes politeness strategies in terms of impositions (claims and denials of claims) and reveals some stylistic features in scientific papers and in popularizations. (Author/CB)

Argues for a cognitive psychological approach to second-language learning that emphasizes the importance of the development of automaticity and the process of restructuring. It is suggested that language practice can lead to both increased, and occasionally decreased, performance levels, which cognitive psychology may help researchers to…