English

This study investigates morphological vulnerability in incomplete bilingual L1 acquisition. It examines the production of L1 inflections by L2-dominant bilingual children, with the aim of exploring causes of difficulty in agreement marking. Spontaneous data (18 hours) from six Hungarian-English bilingual children, aged seven to nine, is used to compare the production of possessive inflections and verbal inflections, which are expressed by identical surface morphology in Hungarian. Drawing on recent analysis of Hungarian (Alberti, 1995; Szabolcsi, 1994), the paper asks where and why agreement morphology is susceptible to variability in bilingual children's weaker L1. Results indicate significant differences in the accuracy of agreement morphology. Inflections are almost error-free in possessive nominals and subject-verb agreement. However, they are frequently omitted in possessive be-clauses, which can be attributed to a combination of factors: (i) influence of semantic-syntactic properties of English have on Hungarian be possessive construction (transfer from L2); (ii) difficulty with long-distance agreement in Hungarian be-possessives (structural complexity of L1); and (iii) influence of Hungarian existential and locative constructions on possessive-be (ambiguity in L1). It is argued that morphological variability is selective, and the main source of vulnerability is the syntax-semantics interface where the weaker L1 is most susceptible to L2 influence.

This paper examines how pre-adolescent bilingual girls employ linguistic choices to construct relations of dominance and subordination in a competitive exchange of knowledge and expertise in a pretend-school activity. Quantitative and qualitative analyses demonstrate that code ...

This study examines the integration of English verbs in Hungarian-English language contact. While previous research indicates that codeswitching (CS) of verbs does not occur as readily as that of nouns, the conditioning factors that determine by what means and in ...

This study examines the integration of English verbs in Hungarian-English language contact. While previous research indicates that codeswitching (CS) of verbs does not occur as readily as that of nouns, the conditioning factors that determine by what means and in what forms verbs can be

Reading and Writing Without Authority y early March, Janet is ready to set aside the notecards she's been laboring over since midwinter. She begins to write: This paper will define paternalism and discuss its justification. Paternalism is the action of one person interfering with another person's actions or thoughts to help him. The person who interferes, called the paternalist, breaks moral rules of independency because he restricts the other person's freedom without that person's consent. He does it, however, in a fatherly, benevolent way, and assumes that the person being restrained will appreciate the action later. Across town a few days later, Roger makes a similar decision. Setting aside his scrawled pages of notes, he, too, begins his text: Consider the following situations: Situation One: Mister N, a member of a religious sect which strictly forbids blood transfusions, is involved in a serious automobile accident and loses a large amount of blood. On arriving at the hospital, he is still conscious and informs the doctor that his religion forbids blood transfusions. Immediately thereafter he faints from loss of blood. The doctor believes that if Mister N is not given a transfusion he will die. Thereupon, the doctor arranges for and carries out the blood transfusion. Is the doctor right in doing this? [Two more cases are presented.) ... Ann M. Penrose is an associate professor of English at North Carolina State University, where she teaches courses in writing and writing research. She is co-editor, with Barbara M. Sitko, of Hearing Ourselves Think: Cognitive Research in the College Writing Classroom (Oxford, 1993). Cheryl Geisler is associate professor of Rhetoric and Composition at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where she directs the Writing Intensive Program and teaches graduate courses in literacy and research methods. She has recently authored Academic Literacy and the Nature of Expertise (Erlbaum, 1994).

A study examined the assumption that writing is a way to learn by examining the relative effects of writing and studying as learning aids. The study also explored the role of individual differences in an effort to identify features of the writing process that may influence what students learn through writing. The experiment used think-aloud protocols and comprehension testing in a mixed experimental design. Forty college freshmen each performed a writing task and a study task, in each case working with a 1,200-word reading passage which served as the to-be-learned material. The writing task led to lower scores than the study task on two of four comprehension measures. Writing and studying processes were analyzed along seven dimensions via the protocol transcripts. Stepwise regression analyses revealed several significant relationships between process features and comprehension. Results suggest that process features such as planning and audience awareness are important variables in the relationship between writing and learning. (Two figures and two tables of data are included.) (Author/KEH)

Description Title: The Problem-solving processes of writers and readers Author(s): Rosbery, Ann S.; Warren, Beth; Bruce, Bertram C.; Flower, Linda; Bowen, Betsy; Kants, Margaret; Penrose, Ann M. Subject(s): social perspective cognitive perspective writing reading problem-solving communicative Abstract: This report discusses a cognitive/social perspective on writing and reading. Research demonstrating the communicative and problem-solving nature of writing and reading is examined, with special attention given to the influences that audience and purpose have on the construction of meaning. This theoretical position is illustrated with a series of "scenarios" that portray students of varying ages and levels of sophistication as they tackle writing and reading assignments in school. Woven throughout the scenarios are practical suggestions for supporting students' writing and reading expertise across a range of contexts. Issue Date: 1990-02 Publisher: Champaign, Ill. : Univ...