Forty-two below-average readers, between 7 and 10 years of age, were given single-word training, phrase training, or no training. Trained children learned to decode target words quickly and accurately, using flashcards; untrained children only discussed the target words and read them once. Trained and untrained children read aloud passages containing target words and were tested on their comprehension. Trained children had better comprehension than did the untrained children when questioned about passages and asked to retell them. Results suggest that an emphasis on rapid word recognition benefits poor readers. Reading is a multicomponent skill whereby the reader has to use a number of different cognitive processes involving word recognition, access of word meanings, parsing of sentences, semantic analysis of sentences, and interpretation of the overall text. Many of these linguistic processes are already automatic in that they demand little or no cognitive effort for the native speaker, inasmuch as they are part of general language comprehension. One process that is not automatic, and that has to be taught to beginning readers, is word recognition. This skill takes several years to learn, and even then most pupils will not have the speed and fluency of skilled adult readers (Gough & Hiilinger, 1980). The automatization of word recognition usually comes after a long period of extensive reading practice. In designing the present study, we reasoned that a focus on the development of automatic word recognition skills would be most likely to have a positive effect on poor readers' comprehension, as word recognition is one aspect of the reading process that is very difficult for them (

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We review our preparation and production of a mock trial designed to give students experience as expert witnesses in forensic linguistics. As part of a senior seminar in Spanish linguistics, students made all pre-trial preparations and presented testimony for a real-world case related to the meaning of the Spanishlanguage nickname negrito. The trial took place in the Model Courtroom of The National Judicial College on the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno. The courtroom setting included judge, counsel for the plainti and defense, baili , a court-certi ed Spanish-English interpreter, eight student expert-witnesses, and numerous student and faculty observers. This paper is structured to present four aspects of the trial: the instant case; pretrial preparation of all linguistic issues; testimony presented; and student perspectives on the experience of testifying and subsequently presenting this project at a linguistics conference.Resumo. Este artigo apresenta uma revisão da preparação e da produção de um simulacro de julgamento com o objetivo de fornecer aos estudantes experiência como peritos em linguística forense. Intregado num seminário avançado em linguística espanhola, os estudantes prepararam-se para o julgamento e testemunharam num caso real relacionado com o signi cado da alcunha em espanhol negrito. O julgamento teve lugar no Model Courtroom do The National Judicial College no campus da Universidade de Nevada, Reno. O contexto da sala de audiências incluía juiz, advogado de acusão e advogado de defesa, o cial de justiça, um intérprete juramentado Espanhol-Inglês, oito peritos estudantes e diversos estudantes e docentes como público. Este artigo encontra-se estruturado de modo a apresentar quatro partes do julgamento: o caso imediato, a preparação préjulgamento de todas as questões linguísticas, os testemunhos apresentados e as perspetivas dos estudantes sobre a experiência de testemunhar e, depois, a apresentação deste projeto num congresso de linguística.Palavras-chave: Linguística forense, apelidos em espanhol, pragmática intercultural. Breen, J. et al. -A Student Mock Trial in Forensic Linguistics