This study investigates syllable structure in the interlanguages of two Vietnamese learners of English. An analysis of conversational data sampled at three points over a ten‐month period shows first language transfer in three areas: (1) a preference for the closed syllable in the modification of English syllable‐final consonant clusters, (2) greater difficulty in the production of syllable‐final than syllable‐initial clusters, and (3) negligible use of vowel epenthesis as a syllable modification strategy. These results are interpreted as disconfirmation of the hypothesized universal preference for the open syllable and of the hypothesized prevalence of epenthesis as a syllable modification strategy in interlanguage speech.

Functionalist analyses of interlanguage (IL) development have been concerned to establish the discoursepragmatic foundations of morphosyntax. A number of domains have been investigated in such work, including referentiality, topiccomment encoding, and temporal reference. The present study extends the focus to the encoding of simple and complex propositions in IL. · Through a longitudinal analysis of conversational data from two Vietnamese learners of American English, the study examines propositional syntax with direct reference to discoursepragmatic factors in face-to-face interaction, in particular, to learners' reliance on the collaboration of their (Englishspeaking) interlocutors. Syntacticization -movement from highly context-dependent, •paratactic• speech to more explicit, morphosyntactically enco9ed speech -is observed in (1) high proportions of propositional utterances in both learners' speech, (2) a tendency to distribute propositional content over single utterances, and (3) little interlocutor collaboration in the encoding of complex propositions. Parataxis is found in the encoding of complex propositions: a low rate of multipropositional utterances (MPOs) is observed throughout the study, as well as a preference for juxtaposed rather than morphologically bound MPUs. Of note is a difference in the developmental paths of complementation and modification. Production of the former but not the latter appears to be facilitated by the existence of specific lexical entry points.

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This paper proposes a nonstandard approach to standard English as a second dialect (SESD). It rejects assimilationist ideology as a way of legitimizing the educational experience of language minority groups, advocating instead a pluralist position which views the acquisition of standard English by native speakers of other varieties as "additive bidialectalism" rather than remediation.The paper begins by clarifying "dialect," "creole" and "standard" as necessary background to a discussion of the ideology of linguistic prescriptivism. Research in two areas is then reviewed: (a) studies examining dialectal differences and their influence on cross-dialectal communication, and (b) sociolinguistic research on classroom participation structures involving language minority students. It is concluded that dialectal differences are not trivial, and that culturally appropriate modifications to classroom discourse patterns, such as those implemented in a program for Hawaii Creole English-speaking children, are useful models for other SESD settings. Introduction: The political context of Standard English as a second dialect (SESD)It has become increasingly difficult over the last few years for language professionals to ignore ill-informed public discussions of language and education. In the United States, the US English movement (Donohue 1985) and the proposed English Language Amendment (ELA) to the U.S. Constitution (see Marshall, 1986, andJudd, 1987, for excellent discussions), in particular, pose a serious challenge to the progressive philosophy of TESOL. Although the TESOL organization has recently reaffirmed its strong support for cultural and linguistic pluralism through its adoption of a resolution opposing the ELA, more remains to be done. There is a need for substantive discussion of both the ideological and empirical issues involved in language policy formulation and implementation.Such discussion must extend beyond the important, long-standing debate over bilingualism and various forms of bilingual education, however, to include issues concerning schooling in and through Standard (British, American, Canadian, Australian, etc.) English as a second dialect (SESD) for speaY.t!rs of minority varieties of the various national English standards. Recognizing these varieties as valid systems of communication, the present paper adopts a "nonstandard" approach to SESD. It rejects assimilationist ideology as the only way of viewing the experience of minorities in the US, arguing instead for a pluralistic position in which the acquisition of standard English (SE) is seen as additive bidialectalism rather than as remediation.Aside from the furor over Black English Vernacular (BEV) during the 1960s and '70s, insufficient attention has been paid to minority varieties of English or to the educational life chances of the children who speak them. A new generation of teachers has appeared in US public schools since the period of the Civil Rights Movement, many of whom have had little meaningful exposure to the history of their curren...