Adult native speakers (L1) of Russian and advanced nonnative second-language (L2) speakers read Russian sentences on a computer and were asked to choose one of two inflected past-tense verbs in a forced-choice task. Verbs either matched or mismatched gender of the subject-noun phrase. Data suggested that L1 and L2 speakers may depend on common…

Examined the role of animacy and pronouns as children ages 2 to 3 years acquired transitive construction. Participants learned two nonce verbs, one of which was modeled in several transitive sentence frames and the other in neutral sentence frames. Many children produced transitive sentences with the first verb, but only children near age 3…

Describes a multimedia-based Russian language course developed at Colgate University (NY) and a multimedia authoring system that makes the creation of such courses technically feasible for language instructors. The use of movies, foreign language instruction, principles of design, development frameworks, and future plans are discussed. (Author/LRW)

Provides an annotated bibliography of 42 English and Russian language periodicals and books about Russian libraries published from 1987 to 1994 intended for non-Slavic librarians planning to travel to Russia for a work/culture or study experience. An appendix describes visits to three Russian libraries. (Author/LRW)

Focused on whether differential item functioning (DIF) is related to item type in translated test items and the causes of DIF using data from an Israeli college entrance test in Hebrew and a Russian translation. Results from 24,304 college applicants indicate that 34% of items functioned differently across items. (SLD)

Where learner discourse has been the focus of much recent research on asynchonous online instruction, the specific forms of instructional discourse used by online educators has yet to be examined. Indeed, the majority of work in the area of foreign language and telecommunications has concentrated on student-student, student-peer interaction, and…

This article introduces the reader to two online sources of materials for working on improving listening and reading skills. The materials are intended for learners already at Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) Level 3 (Superior) proficiency in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Russian, and Spanish, who desire to reach Level 4 (Distinguished, or…

The traditional phonetic classification of language rhythm as stress-timed or syllable-timed is attributed to Pike. Recently, two different proposals have been offered for describing the rhythmic structure of languages from acoustic-phonetic measurements. Ramus has suggested a metric based on the proportion of vocalic intervals and the variability…

Where the role of instructor discourse has been the focus of much recent research on asynchronous online instruction, the anatomy of effective instructional discourse of foreign language educators has yet to be examined. Indeed, the majority of work in the area of foreign language and telecommunications has concentrated on student-student,…

Previous studies have shown that phonological awareness correlates with children's reading aloud and also adults' literacy experience. More recent research has further suggested that phonological awareness is associated with the processing of spoken language, which is a correlate of reading comprehension. In this paper, I argue that phonological…

In an era of tight library budgets, librarians must carefully consider materials selection. The interdisciplinary nature of the social science and humanities fields makes determining what a researcher needs a difficult task. This study seeks to determine what materials are being used by scholars in the field of Russian and Slavic studies analyzing…

These reading comprehension exercises, based on authentic Russian texts, are aimed at developing reading strategies in lower-level students of Russian. The exercises are designed for students reading at the Novice and Intermediate levels as determined by the American Counsel on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and the Educational Testing…

The composition and operation of two computer drills for learning Russian grammar are discussed. Particular features and advantages of the drills and computer instruction are noted. (CHK)

This article discusses the reality and benefits of language study programs in the Soviet Union for American students as compared to the expectations of teachers and students. Specific problems concern the areas of phonetics, grammar and conversation. (CLK)

Refers to important articles from the 1973-74 volume of the Czechoslovak journal "Rusky jazyk." The linguistic portion deals with questions of conversational speech and stylistics. Relevant to teaching Russian are articles on FL teaching installations, factors leading to failure in language learning, and categorizing language errors.…