The effects of age of acquisition and native language prosody on the acquisition of English stress patterns were investigated with early and late Korean-English bilinguals (n = 20). Distributional patterns of stress placement based on syllabic structure, distributional patterns of stress placement based on lexical class, and stress patterns of phonologically similar words were investigated for their effect on the placement of stress in English nonwords. Both bilingual groups—like the native English controls—showed extension of stress patterns from phonologically similar real words. The effect of syllabic structure for early bilinguals was slightly different from that of native speakers, and late bilinguals showed more reduced effects. Unlike previous work with Spanish-English bilinguals, Korean-English bilinguals demonstrated a nonnativelike effect of lexical class, most pronounced in the late bilinguals. This difference might be due to Koreans' low sensitivity to word-level statistical distributions because of early exposure to a phrase-level prosodic system.This research was supported by a grant (DC05132) from the National Institutes of Health (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders). Thanks are extended to J. J. Clark for her help in administering the experiments and to Kyoung-Ho Kang for help locating participants. I would also like to thank the four anonymous SSLA reviewers, Jonathan Loftin, and Lisa Redford for valuable comments on an earlier version of this article.

Stable nonnative varieties of English acquired and used in the absence of native English input can diverge systematically from native varieties over time (Cheshire, 1991; Kachru, 1983; Platt, Weber, & Ho, 1984). Focusing on Indian English article use, this study asks the following question: If divergence is indeed occurring, do new features derive primarily from first language (L1) transfer or from universal principles? Natural conversational speech is assessed in relation to four hypotheses relating to L1 transfer and language universals, and a multivariate regression analysis evaluates the relative strength of each factor. The new article system is not found to be identical to the L1 article system. Although L1 transfer appears to be operative when an overt form (the specific indefinite article) exists in the L1, when a gap occurs in the L1 (no definite article), speakers do not completely omit the definite article in their second language English. Using Prince's (1981) taxonomy of assumed familiarity, it is shown that the absence of a L1 model for definite articles permits the intervention of universally available discourse knowledge, such that speakers apply an economical, disambiguating principle to the use of overt articles, reserving them mainly for new (less given or inferable) information and omitting them in more redundant contexts.I am indebted to John Rickford, Elizabeth Traugott, Arnold Zwicky, Ishtla Singh, and the SSLA editors and anonymous reviewers for much helpful feedback. I also received valuable comments from audiences at the LSA, Atlanta (January 2003) and at UC Davis and UC San Diego (February 2003).

The purpose of the present study was to determine what features associated with the macrolevel of lexical competence vary as a function of an increase in second language (L2) proficiency. The macrolevel of participants' word knowledge was described with respect to six variables that are commonly associated with three proposed macrolevel dimensions, namely quantity, quality, and metacognitive awareness. Sixty-four participants (native speakers of English, L2 advanced learners, and intermediate learners of English) self-rated their familiarity with 73 lexical items and were asked to generate word associations to the words they identified in a verifiable way as known. The data analyses showed that some measures, such as vocabulary size, word frequency effects, number of associations, and within-group consistency of participants' associative domain, are more sensitive to L2 learners' increasing proficiency than others (e.g., nativelike commonality of associations). We thus conclude that some aspects, such as quality and quantity of L2 lexical competence, develop as the proficiency of the L2 learners increases, whereas others, such as learners' metacognitive awareness, are not proficiency dependent. We also suggest that the measures that were identified as sensitive to capturing the overall state of L2 learners' vocabularies would also be reliable indexes of learners' proficiency development.

Flege, Bohn, and Jang (1997) and Escudero and Boersma (2004) analyzed first language-Spanish second language-English listeners' perception of English /i/–/i/ continua that varied in spectral and duration properties. They compared individuals and groups on the basis of spectral reliance and duration reliance measures. These reliance measures indicate the change in identification rates from one extreme of the stimulus space to the other; they make use of only a portion of the data collected and suffer from a ceiling effect. The current paper presents a reanalysis of Escudero and Boersma's data using first-order logistic regression modeling. All of the available data contribute to the calculation of logistic regression coefficients, and they do not suffer from the same ceiling effect as the reliance measures. It is argued that—as a metric of cue weighting—logistic regression coefficients offer methodological and substantive advantages over the reliance measures.My thanks to Paola Escudero and Paul Boersma for making their data available, and thanks to Terrance M. Nearey for comments on an earlier draft of this paper (any defects are my own responsibility). This work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Morrison (this issue) criticized the analytical and statistical methods that Escudero and Boersma (2004) used for assessing the participants' cue weightings in their listening experiments. He proposed that logistic regression constitutes a better method for measuring perceptual cue weighting than Escudero and Boersma's “edge difference ratio.” The present paper starts by summarizing and illustrating Escudero and Boersma's experiment and analysis method and then addresses five of Morrison's objections—namely the alleged ceiling effect, the alleged superiority of logistic regression, the problem of discarding data, the (dis)confirmation of two-category assimilation, and Escudero and Boersma's grouping of the data. We will argue that although logistic regression is a very good method for measuring cue weighting, there was nothing wrong with Escudero and Boersma's methodology in these five respects.

THE HANDBOOK OF SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION. Catherine J. Doughty and Michael H. Long (Eds.). Oxford: Blackwell, 2003. Pp. 888. $157.95 cloth, $44.95 paper.

This volume is one of the most recent and comprehensive collections of papers on the current state-of-the-art in SLA research. Arguing that “[a]s a widespread, highly complex, uniquely human, cognitive process, language learning of all kinds merits careful study for what it can reveal about the nature of human mind and intelligence” (p. 5), editors Doughty and Long have collected papers from 27 researchers—many of whom are the leading experts in their subfields—and organized them into seven sections.

TEACHING AND LEARNING A SECOND LANGUAGE. Ernesto Macaro. New York: Continuum, 2003. Pp. xvi + 284. $29.95 paper.

This volume complements practice by providing reviews of and discussions about current literature in foreign language (FL) learning. The book is based on survey results from English FL teachers about where they feel gaps need to be filled or knowledge broadened in their personal know-how and know-why. Although this book is intended for FL teachers or as a resource for heads of departments, it would also be a good reader for graduate students as an introduction to the teaching of FLs or for teacher trainers at various levels.

FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: THE ESSENTIAL READINGS. Barbara Lust and Claire Foley (Eds.). Oxford: Blackwell, 2004. Pp. xi + 442. $78.95 cloth, $38.95 paper.

The goal of understanding the processes and mechanisms by which a child acquires a first language (L1) is an ambitious one. The rapid progress in the field of L1 acquisition over the last 50 years or so, combined with the practical challenge posed by an increasingly multidisciplinary literature, presents a daunting picture to established scholars as well as newcomers. This volume, edited by Lust and Foley, is an outstanding collection of foundational readings in the philosophy and science of language acquisition. Anyone who wishes to understand the state of the field today—or has ambitions of contributing to its advancement tomorrow—will find this book a vital resource.

SECOND-LANGUAGE TEACHING: A VIEW FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN. Marcel Danesi. Dordrecht: Kluwer, 2003. Pp. xi + 172. $89.95 cloth, $49.95 paper.

Danesi proposes an understanding of second language (L2) teaching based on the characteristic differences between right hemisphere and left hemisphere processing. He argues that certain language teaching techniques are more compatible with one hemisphere or the other and suggests that successful L2 teaching involves techniques that engage initially the right hemisphere, then the left hemisphere, and finally both together. Based on the neurobiological literature, he argues that left hemisphere (L-Mode) functions are such things as pronunciation, grammar, literal meaning, sequential relations, verbal memory, and logical thinking. Right hemisphere (R-Mode) functions include prosodic systems, metaphorical and emotional meaning, spatial relations, nonverbal memory, intuitive reasoning, and associations and synthesis (see Table 1, p. 35).

LANGUAGE STRATEGIES FOR BILINGUAL FAMILIES: THE ONE-PARENT–ONE-LANGUAGE APPROACH. Suzanne Barron-Hauwaert. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters, 2004. Pp. 248. $79.95 cloth, $29.95 paper.

How do families who are trying to raise their children bilingually attempt to do so, and how do they overcome some of the challenges of this decision? This is the main theme of this very readable book, which is written with a variety of audiences in mind. The book is theoretically sound even though it is not primarily addressed to the research community. The author, who has had personal experience raising children bilingually, also documents the experiences of many other families involved in this endeavor, using direct quotes from interviews and small case studies of these families as documentation for the theoretical assertions.

SITUATIONAL CONTEXT OF EDUCATION: A WINDOW INTO THE WORLD OF BILINGUAL LEARNERS. María Estela Brisk, Angela Burgos, and Sara Ruth Hamerla. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2004. Pp. vii + 246. $24.50 paper.

In this volume, Brisk, Burgos, and Hamerla offer educators of language-minority students assistance in addressing two perennial challenges: linking sociolinguistic theory and research to classroom practice and strengthening connections between home and school. Their offering comes as a collection of thoughtfully crafted, tested, and honed lesson plans through which teachers and students together study the linguistic, cultural, economic, political, and social factors that affect students and their learning in a bilingual and bicultural environment. They propose that close examination of the situational context of education in one's own community will benefit students, their families, and their teachers and, ultimately, promote learning.

FOSSILIZATION IN ADULT SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION. ZhaoHong Han. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters, 2004. Pp. vii + 201. $29.95 paper.

Researchers often use metaphors to define abstract or complex phenomena in terms of more familiar concepts (Honeck & Temple, 1992). Fossilization (Selinker, 1972) is a trope coined to conceptualize a widely known but poorly understood characteristic of the majority of adult second language (L2) learners: failure to achieve targetlike competence despite continuous exposure to the target language, adequate motivation to learn, and sufficient opportunity for practice. Challenged by researchers who question the utility of the concept (see the overview in Long, 2003), Han's comprehensive and coherent eight-chapter book provides theoretical and empirical justification for the use of fossilization as an organizing trope (Kupferberg & Green, 1998) that encapsulates the meaning of adult SLA processes.

A PHILOSOPHY OF SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION. Marysia Johnson. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2004. Pp. ix + 207. $40.00 paper.

Johnson states “the purpose of this book is twofold…to introduce the reader to Lev Vygotsky's sociocultural theory (SCT) and Mikhail Bakhtin's literary theory…. Second, … to discuss the existing cognitive bias in SLA theory and research” (p. 1). To this end, the book is divided into two parts: Part 1, which focuses on a review of traditional cognitive approaches to SLA research, and Part 2, which focuses on a more sociocultural perspective, reviewing the theories of Vygotsky and Bakhtin and culminating in Johnson's proposal for a dialogic approach to SLA research.

VALUES IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING. Bill Johnston. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2003. Pp. xiii + 171. $45.00 cloth, $24.50 paper.

In a world marred by political instability, social inequality, and ethnic and cultural intolerance, Johnston's book comes as a strong reminder that teaching is not a neutral act. The theoretical framework behind the seven chapters of the book is the centrality of morality and values in English language teaching (ELT).

WASHBACK IN LANGUAGE TESTING: RESEARCH CONTEXTS AND METHODS. Liying Cheng, Yoshinori Watanabe, and Andy Curtis (Eds.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2004. Pp. xxi + 233. $27.50 paper.

Since Alderson and Wall (1993) posited a seemingly rhetorical question, “Does washback exist?” language testing professionals have directed attention to the impact of testing on teaching, learning, educational outcomes, and individuals. This edited volume is the culmination of language testing professionals' conscious efforts to better understand washback. It bears rich testimony to the complex nature of washback phenomena in every corner of educational systems. It is a useful resource for those seeking guidance on their own washback studies—for teachers and school administrators who are haunted by the power of tests and for those who need empirical evidence for and against test washback in specific testing situations.

(IN)VULNERABLE DOMAINS IN MULTILINGUALISM. Natascha Müller (Ed.). Amsterdam: Benjamins, 2003. Pp. xiv + 374. $90.00 cloth.

This volume is the first in the series Hamburg studies in multilingualism and consists of an introduction and 11 articles, based on presentations at two conferences at the Hamburg Multilingualism Research Centre in July 1999.

CRITICAL PEDAGOGIES AND LANGUAGE LEARNING. Bonny Norton and Kelleen Toohey (Eds.). New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Pp. xiii + 362. $77.00 cloth, $28.00 paper.

Language is not simply communication; rather, it is a practice that constructs the ways language learners understand themselves and their social surroundings. This collection assembles the work of 22 scholars interested in critical perspectives on language education in different sites of practice. They investigate how social relationships and issues of power are centrally important in developing critical language education pedagogies.

ECOLOGY OF LANGUAGE ACQUISITION. Jonathan Leather and Jet van Dam (Eds.). Dordrecht: Kluwer, 2003. Pp xiv + 225. $88.00 cloth.

This volume contains 11 papers on various aspects of language acquisition both in first language (L1) and second language (L2) from an ecological perspective. This approach departs from generative grammar by rejecting both its theoretical and methodological axioms. It first questions the generative assumption that language is a mental state determined by human biology and experience. In its stead, proponents of the ecological view treat language as an entity inseparable from the speakers and their social network (Leather & van Dam, chapter 1). Methodologically, they dismiss generative grammar's essential tenet that competence should be investigated independently of performance; along with this, they also reject idealization in the study of language and language acquisition. Leather and van Dam also presume a priori the nonexistence of context-free meanings (cf. Higginbotham, 1988). As for language acquisition, they claim that the notion of primary linguistic data is too narrow; rather, data in other forms such as gestures and deictic motion are equally relevant in language acquisition. Although both the generative and ecological approaches emphasize individual language learners, for the former, language development constitutes the normal human biology, triggered by sensory input (Chomsky, 1995), whereas for the latter, it results from the interaction of the individuals and their cultural environment.

THE HANDBOOK OF BILINGUALISM. Tej K. Bhatia and William C. Ritchie (Eds.). Oxford: Blackwell, 2004. Pp. xv + 884. $139.95 cloth.

This is one of the major works in the field of bilingualism. The volume includes 31 chapters written by 40 scholars, plus an introduction and an index. The volume aims at providing “state of the art treatments of the central issues that arise in consideration of the phenomena of bilingualism…” (inside book cover), a field that is of growing interest in applied linguistics and other disciplines.

SILENCE IN SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING: A PSYCHOANALYTIC READING. Colette A. Granger. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters, 2004. Pp. x + 142. $29.95 paper.

In this text, Granger provides an intriguing and provocative perspective on the presence of silence during communicative interactions with individuals—particularly children—learning a second language (L2). Considering theoretical and empirical evidence Granger examines, “… the complex interrelationships among self, culture and language …” (p. 38) as first language (L1) learners construct social and linguistic selves, and L2 learners reconstruct these selves in a new language and culture. Silence is given a primary role in the construction and reconstruction processes.