Contributes to the understanding of several well-known problems relating to the learning of phonemic contrasts in second language phonology. Describes a series of ongoing studies examining what Lado (1957) hypothesized to represent maximum difficulty in second language pronunciation, namely a phonemic split. (Author/VWL)

Studies the possible influence of Spanish on native speakers of that language during their assessment of marked iconicity in English. Looks at discrimination by Spanish learners of English of information focus as signaled by placement of nuclear tones in sentence initial and medial positions. (Author/VWL)

Shows positive and negative aspects of the interference of the Polish voicing system on the learner's attempt to master the pronunciation of English. Argues that visual feedback can help foreign learners acquire the nuances of English pronunciation. (Author/VWL)

Reports on Contrastive syllable timing (English-Spanish) and the acquisition of English syllable timing by Spanish native speakers. Results are used to explain the influence of the native language in the acquisition of a foreign language. (Author/VWL)

Examines the perception of within-category allophonic differences in phonemes by both native speakers of English and Spanish learners of English as a Second language. Tries to show how representative different examples of a given phoneme category like /i/ are perceived by subjects in both groups. (Author/VWL)

Describes the frozen interlanguage (IL) of adult learners of English in a natural setting to profile phonological processes that underlie their output. Also examines the impact on learners' oral behavior and the role played by transfer and developmental processes in such behavior. Analysis yields 10 processes shaping learners' IL that are…

Suggests that second language research could provide answers to questions concerning the structure of first language grammars that cannot be answered by only examining first language data and intuitions. Examines homophony in phonology and morphology. (Author/VWL)

Gives a summary of the theoretical approaches to the role of phonetics and phonology in language learning and teaching as developed by the Finnish-English cross-language project at the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. Analysis was extended over the chains of connected speech to deal with all the phenomena that give rhythm in speech. (Author/VWL)

Measured adult Korean learners' of English perceptual interlanguage in phonology. Describes the implementation of a methodology involving context-less lists of English words selected for their potential phonological problems, and discusses the way in which learners process words they are listening to. (Author/VWL)

Reviews Tesar and Smolensky's, "Learnability in Optimality Theory" (2000). Discusses the main tenets of the book as well as the different topics included in each chapter. (Author/VWL)

Reviews empirical research carried out over the last 20 years in three distinct areas: (1) the characteristics of the texts learners produce; (2) the processes of students' composing; and (3) the sociocultural contexts where learning to write occurs. (Author/VWL)

Focuses on complementarity between cognitive and social aspects of writing. Shows that second language (L2) composing processes are constructed in particular social and historical circumstances. Analyzes three areas of L2 composing that are socially mediated: task environment; situated nature of the skilled/unskilled distinction; and the role…

Presents a critical reassessment of research on composing strategies from the perspective of the different conceptualizations that have guided empirical research in the area. Shows that while the insights gained allow the drawing of inferences for theory building, the field lacks a well-specified theoretical framework in which strategies are…

Analyzes the relation between the revision skills of 53 Japanese university English-as-a-Foreign-Language students and the factors of language proficiency and second language writing experience, while exploring the possible effects of prior explicit instruction on participants' revision performance. (Author/VWL)

This longitudinal study of 63 English-as-a-Foreign-Language school learners investigated whether the development of written production is related to the age (8-11 years) of starting contact with the second language. (Author/VWL)