Issues in Applied Linguistics

This paper analyzes spoken interlanguage data from 15 non-native speaker (NNS) at three English interlanguage levels representing five native language (L1) backgrounds (Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, and German) to describe the acquisition of the zero and null articles, the first of which occurs in indefinite and the second in definite noun phrases. The lack of a marked difference in the acquisition of the two forms suggests that learners are generally not aware of the distinction between the zero and null articles.

Although grammar has long established its position in ESL curricula, discrepancies between forms used in actual speech and their prescribed counterparts are problematic. ESL textbooks sometimes fail to reflect authentic grammar use, thus raising questions as to how nonstandard usages should be treated in the classroom. This paper describes native English speakers’ usage of would have in past counterfactual if- and wish-clauses in spoken discourse and examines acceptability judgments of this usage in an informal written dialogue. In this study the would have variant was widely used and accepted by the participants. The paper argues that ESL pedagogical materials should descriptively address the would have usage, which is potentially unconscious even among ESL instructors. The paper further explores plausible hypotheses accounting for the prevalent and stable usage of would have in violation of prescriptive rules. Practical suggestions are also presented regarding testing policies involving the would have usage on standardized tests.

Investigations concerning the morality of teaching, a recent theme in several strands of pedagogical research, have been carried out in classrooms ranging from elementary to university level contexts. In the present qualitative study, undergraduate second language students perceived teachers’ moral agency through teachers’ use of religion as a pedagogical tool, teachers’ (re)actions in the classroom, and teachers’ judgments of students. As key participants in the research process, students identified the presence of morality in their own academic experiences, clearly articulating specific situations in which moral issues influenced second language classrooms; in addition, students analyzed effects of teachers’ moral agency on their own perspectives and actions as language students. This work demonstrates that language teachers and researchers need a heightened awareness of teachers’ moral agency in the classroom as well as a more sensitive recognition of the complex effects that teachers’ decisions, words, and actions have on students.

Dr. Russell Campbell was Professor Emeritus of the Department of Applied Linguistics and Director Emeritus of the Language Resource Center at UCLA. A key figure in the field of language education, Dr. Campbell was always committed to and fascinated by the study of language. Throughout his career, he worked on pioneering language education and research projects both domestically and internationally. His interests ranged from the design and development of English language training programs for professionals overseas, to the preservation of heritage languages in the United States. An active member of the profession, Dr. Campbell held several positions of leadership. He served as President of TESOL in 1971-1972 and sponsored and directed the first TESOL Summer Institute in 1979—a program that is still running today. Besides his extraordinary career accomplishments and contributions to the field of applied linguistics, Dr. Campbell served the UCLA community with unwavering enthusiasm. Easy-going and unpretentious, he helped and supported thousands of students—for whom he always had time—and inspired just as many.