Mental representations have continuous as well as discrete, combinatorial properties. For example, while predominantly discrete, phonological representations also vary continuously; this is reflected by gradient effects in instrumental studies of speech production. Can an integrated theoretical framework address both aspects of structure? The framework we introduce here, Gradient Symbol Process...

The existence of variability, i.e., when multiple surface forms correspond to a single underlying representation, is a significant problem for many formal theories of phonology, which are often treated as strictly deterministic. Many theorists simply regard the different surface forms as free variants and use optional rules to formalize the variation (see Chomsky & Halle 1968). Others argue tha...

Experiments were carried out to determine if variations in adult native speaker performance arise from variations in working memory capacity (Just & Carpenter, 1992) or variations in procedural grammatical competence (Ericsson & Kintsch, 1995). Three groups of 18-year-old native speakers of English were tested on comprehension and recall of English Complex NP constructions. Two groups were ‘low...

The Grammar Translation Method and the Communicative Approach have both played important roles in grammar teaching. Which is better, the Grammar Translation Method or the Communicative Approach? This paper aims to compare the controllability and feasibility of these two approaches and find out which one is more suitable for grammar teaching in Taiwan. Two classes were selected and taught by the...

Formal languages theory is useful for the study of natural language. In particular, it is of interest to study the adequacy of the grammatical formalisms to express syntactic phenomena present in natural language. First, it helps to draw hypothesis about the nature and complexity of the speaker-hearer linguistic competence, a fundamental question in linguistics and other cognitive sciences. Mor...

The article is devoted to the problems of foreign language education in linguistic universities, namely promoting students’ competence, which has been most urgent mastering as a means communication. research prompts standards progress grammatical competence. In current study, we make hypothesis that, contrast traditional teaching approach, communicative approach supposed be more effective gramm...

This thesis presents an exhaustive research about ongoing language variation and change in the Japanese voice system. Through the analysis I identify the roles of internal and external factors in human linguistic competence that govern the language variation and change, and I construct a model of grammar that inherently includes the language variation and change. This work aims at the formal th...

This study investigated the impact of individual differences like language proficiency, gender and age on the Iranian EFL learners interlanguage pragmatics in institutional discourse especially, their capacity to recognize and to rate pragmatic and grammatical infelicities in speech act situations of request and apology.  To this end, one hundred and eighty-seven EFL university students at thre...

This study was an attempt to examine the effect of using comic strips on improving grammar recognition and performance among Iranian young EFL learners. To this end, one experimental and one control groups were formed, each having 45 preintermediate participants chosen via convenience sampling. The researcher-made pretests of grammar and speaking assured the researchers that the participants di...