Discusses the problems of the researcher versus the researched; the unfulfilled promises of research; the dangers of knowing; the misassessment and misinterpretation of facts by scholars; and, the inadequate research design. (JM)

Describes the structure and functioning of the "Centro de Linguistica Aplicada do Instituto de Idiomas Yazigi" of Sao Paulo and comments on its role in promoting applied linguistics studies in Latin America. Also outlines the Center's historical background and its educational services, particularly those related to the teaching of…

This article is concerned with the pragmatic aspects of linguistics research, i.e., the characteristics of language use such as the psychological motivations of speakers, the reactions of the hearers, and discourse analysis, insofar as they relate to second language learning. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

A study tested models concerning syntactic categories in early multiword speech by investigating overlap in contexts in which children (n=11) used determiner types. Results indicate children have little knowledge of relationships between different determiner types, suggesting development of an adultlike syntactic determiner category may be…

Preschoolers with specific language impairment (SLIs) and two groups of linguistically normally developing children described motion and change-of-state scenes while viewing a video, and patterns of verb use were analyzed. Although SLIs relied heavily on general all-purpose verbs, normally developing children used them more. SLIs made more verb…

Explains the differences between constituency and dependency theories for structural linguistics. Reasons are provided for why the former has been indirectly responsible for the neglect of lexical acquisition in language acquisition research and for proposing a notation based on dependency theory for describing learners' segmentation of initially…

A review of higher education Portuguese language programs explores the characteristics of these programs between 1945 and 1979 and enrollment in the 1980s. A discussion focuses on how recent developments in French and Spanish applied linguistics and new teaching methodologies and materials will affect the future development of such programs. (CB)

A novel approach is examined for using developmental sequence data for deciding between Universal Grammar-based and problem solving models of adult nonnative grammatical development. Results support the Universal Grammar-based model of nonnative language acquisition. (19 references) (Author/LB)

A study investigated children's understanding of the formal and functional aspects of written Chinese in an orthographic acceptability judgment task and a creative spelling task. Subjects were 60 Hong Kong children ages 4 to 9. Results suggest that learning to read and write in Chinese is not accomplished by rote learning of characters but through…

Summarizes an initiation to feminism through courses and an English for specific purposes curriculum evaluation completed as part of a thesis. Discusses how feminism can have an impact on fields such as TESL and applied linguistics, how feminist education and research relate to other epistemologies, and how feminist features can be applied to…

A qualitative study analyzed the distribution of participation by young children (ages 3-5) in family dinnertime conversation, focusing on "backstage talk," sequences adjacent to those in which the child is involved and within his auditory range, so that the child-projected participation-role alternates between that of addressee and overhearer.…

An argument is made that new kinds of transnational literature (i.e., literature that is no longer linguistically and/or culturally rooted in national categories only) are rapidly multiplying in the changing geography of the world. It is suggested that for linguists this trend offers new sources of data, new insights into the operation of language…

The early stages of second language learning in everyday communication, without formal instruction, are examined. It is proposed that in such a situation, the learner draws on: (1) second language input; (2) innate human capacity for learning languages; and (3) native language knowledge. The linguist's typical approach to investigating language…

In this longitudinal study in which a second language was used as the sole or major medium of instruction, the experimental group performed as well as or better than the control groups with respect to language skills, academic skills and cognitive development. Pupils could also communicate effectively in their second language. (AG)