A study of the language used in the dialogue journals of beginning students of English as a second language (ESL) focused on the acquisition of English morphology. The study used two methodological approaches: a comparison of journal language with that used in speech and other written samples, and a longitudinal look at change patterns that also examined which morphemes were being acquired and which were not. Four major findings emerged: (1) some morphemes, including the use of "be" as a copula, were mastered quickly, while others showed little or no gain over time; (2) while there were some overall trends common to all students, there was also considerable individual variation in the acquisition processes, seemingly as a result of first language transfer; (3) dialogue journal writing does reflect changes in language proficiency over time, even at the earliest stages of language learning; and (4) ESL learners can compose and express themselves in English long before they have mastered its forms and structures. References, tables, and figures are appended. (MSE)