A survey of research on French as a second language (FSL) education in Canada suggests that French immersion (FI) students enjoy significant linguistic, academic, and cognitive benefits. We organize our summary of the advantages of FI around these three themes, comparing students' proficiency in French and English across various FI programs, and…

This study employed the masked-priming paradigm [Forster and Davis (J Exp Psychol bearn Mem Cogn 10: 680-698, 1984).], along with traditional methods of evaluation of morphological awareness and phonological processing, to obtain a finer-grained picture of the relationship between morphological abilities and reading in adult dyslexic readers.…

This study explores the ability to access word boundaries of pre-school children, using an on-line methodology (Karmiloff-Smith, Grant, Sims, Jones, & Cockle (1996). "Cognition, 58", 197-219.), which has hardly been used outside English-speaking countries. In a cross-linguistic study in the Netherlands and Norway, four and…

Previous cognitive science research demonstrates how the Agent-action-Objective (AaO) paradigm controls the cognitive processes of differentiation and integration. The present discussion advances the process to the fourth of five phases. Of the four dependent variables emerging at this stage, two are discussed: zero processing and variations in…

Taking seriously the recent call for critical language awareness in mathematics classrooms, I propose that students engage with their teachers in the analysis of the discourse in their classrooms. To explore the potential for increased mathematical understanding, I analyze transcripts of students and a teacher listening to and responding to their…

Attempts to validate a psycholinguistic model of language processing. One experiment designed to provide insight into the model is TALK, is a system developed to promote conversational fluency in non-speaking individuals. TALK, designed primarily for people with cerebral palsy and motor neuron disease. Talk is demonstrated to be a viable tool for…

Discusses a visual representation of the English verb system. This system helps overcome difficulties with the opaqueness of metalanguage and with distinguishing between key notions such as "tense" and "aspect." The article shows how learners can fathom the abstract meanings involved through the use of 'icons' that obviate the…

In three experiments, children listened to a story and were asked to repeat "the last word" or "the last thing" they heard. Found that children as young as 4.5 to 5 years treat both open and closed categories as words and clearly differentiate between words and things, contradicting the notion that children cannot focus on…

The problem of providing a systematic understanding of Language Awareness (LA) is reviewed. Topics covered include principles behind the various terms used to refer to LA and types of knowledge about language, intervention, and the value of studying genre awareness. (39 references) (Author/LB)

A semiotic approach explains why native speakers use alternative ways to express the same linguistic or communicative function without being aware of why they choose one form over the other. The explanation uncovers an aspect of language awareness not previously explored in traditional word and sentence-oriented approaches. (19 references)…

Responds to a previous article suggesting that the grammatical mode of communication arose via natural selection, focusing on the following: the impoverished view of language; the use of misleading metaphors; reliance on problematic metalanguage; the absence of developmental evidence; and the absence of qualitative judgments. (JL)

Two studies of preschool and kindergarten children found that language-delayed children performed more poorly than normal children on phoneme awareness tasks, particularly on tasks requiring explicit linguistic analysis; and language-delayed children who received phoneme awareness training made and maintained significant gains, performing…

Philosophical roots of suicide research are examined, and alternative feminist research approaches are described. By challenging scientific tradition, focusing on women, considering power, recognizing gender constructs, maintaining awareness of the power of language, and promoting active, practical applications, researchers can combine traditional…

Provides some background on the use of magical language in technical contexts, gives examples of magical discourse in technology advertisements and newsmagazine articles, and proposes a technical communication pedagogy of media analysis. Notes that the proposed pedagogy involves students conducting diagnostic critiques of media texts and affords…

Focuses on day-to-day issues of running a Mi'kmaq school. Argues that Sociolinguistics must incorporate a real-world understanding of language. (Author/VWL)