Catalan: A Comprehensive Grammar by Max W. Wheeler; Alan Yates; Nicolau DolsReview by: José Ignacio HualdeThe Modern Language Journal, Vol. 85, No. 1, Special Issue: A Century of Language Teachingand Research: Looking Back and Looking Ahead, Part 2 (Spring, 2001), pp. 156-157Published by: Wiley on behalf of the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers AssociationsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/330391 .

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156 156

research for workplace English programs are pre- sented, and the perplexing question as to why line workers choose not to learn English, despite its importance in Ontario and Canada, is revisited. Goldstein also ponders the value of existing work- place English programs and how they might better serve workers. She suggests a "critical pedagogy of ESL" (p. 231) in workplace language classes, where workers' lives might be transformed by re- flecting critically on the conditions of their own lives and learning to interact effectively with En-

glish speakers in more powerful social positions. The final chapter connects Goldstein's findings with studies reviewed in earlier chapters related to language choice, gender, consensual social values and behavior, and the political economy.

This well-written book is remarkable for its breadth and depth, its critical ideological per- spectives, and the evidence marshaled for the claims that are made. Bringing together macro- and microanalyses of workplace language issues, Goldstein provides thorough ethnographic and

sociological description, together with case stud- ies of individuals connected with Stone Special- ties. Although the analysis is restricted to social structures and interactions within a very particu- lar work context, and with a focus on this specific group of Portuguese Canadians, the theoretical

arguments, data, and interpretations nonetheless have potential value for researchers and students

working in different sociolinguistic contexts.

They provide a set of perspectives and research methods for exploring, comparing, and explain- ing language use in other workplaces and settings with other ethnic groups and for considering the

complex combination of factors that account for

sociolinguistic behavior in multilingual and mul- ticultural institutions and communities.

PATRICIA A. DUFF

University of British Columbia

CATALAN

research for workplace English programs are pre- sented, and the perplexing question as to why line workers choose not to learn English, despite its importance in Ontario and Canada, is revisited. Goldstein also ponders the value of existing work- place English programs and how they might better serve workers. She suggests a "critical pedagogy of ESL" (p. 231) in workplace language classes, where workers' lives might be transformed by re- flecting critically on the conditions of their own lives and learning to interact effectively with En-

glish speakers in more powerful social positions. The final chapter connects Goldstein's findings with studies reviewed in earlier chapters related to language choice, gender, consensual social values and behavior, and the political economy.

This well-written book is remarkable for its breadth and depth, its critical ideological per- spectives, and the evidence marshaled for the claims that are made. Bringing together macro- and microanalyses of workplace language issues, Goldstein provides thorough ethnographic and

sociological description, together with case stud- ies of individuals connected with Stone Special- ties. Although the analysis is restricted to social structures and interactions within a very particu- lar work context, and with a focus on this specific group of Portuguese Canadians, the theoretical

arguments, data, and interpretations nonetheless have potential value for researchers and students

working in different sociolinguistic contexts.

They provide a set of perspectives and research methods for exploring, comparing, and explain- ing language use in other workplaces and settings with other ethnic groups and for considering the

complex combination of factors that account for

sociolinguistic behavior in multilingual and mul- ticultural institutions and communities.

PATRICIA A. DUFF

University of British Columbia

CATALAN

WHEELER, MAX W., ALAN YATES, & NICO- LAU DOLS. Catalan: A Comprehensive Grammar. New York: Routledge, 1999. Pp. xvi, 638. $39.99, paper.

WHEELER, MAX W., ALAN YATES, & NICO- LAU DOLS. Catalan: A Comprehensive Grammar. New York: Routledge, 1999. Pp. xvi, 638. $39.99, paper.

This book is a detailed and authoritative descrip- tion of the morphological and main syntactic structures of the Catalan language. The struc-

This book is a detailed and authoritative descrip- tion of the morphological and main syntactic structures of the Catalan language. The struc-

The Modern Language Journal 85 (2001)

ture of the book is appropriate for its intended use as a reference grammar. In addition to a preface where issues such as status of the lan- guage, dialects, and stylistic variation in Catalan are discussed, the book is divided into five main parts: "Noun Phrase Constituent"; "Adverbs, Prepositions, and Conjunctions"; "Verbs"; "Sen- tences Types"; and "Information Structure and Word Order." The book is completed by a sec- tion that covers spelling, accent marks, and punctuation, plus further reading and biblio- graphical references and an index. The bulk of the book is thus devoted to morphological mat- ters. The intended reader has already acquired some basic knowledge of Catalan and will use this book either for further study or for refer- ence. The complexities of Catalan grammar are

presented thoroughly and with abundant exem-

plification of both regularities and exceptions. Difficult topics for the advanced student of Cata- lan, such as the gender of nouns, the shape and order of clitic pronouns, verbal morphology, and the use of certain prepositions, are treated in admirable detail, with ample coverage of re- gional variants. The focus of the description is standard Catalan, broadly conceived. In addition to providing a quite systematic description of re-

gional variation (especially of those aspects where the written Valencian and Balearic re-

gional standards deviate from the Catalonian norm, most notably certain points of verb mor-

phology), the book gives useful information on

register and style as well as on points of fluctua- tion in the norm (such as the correct use of the

prepositions per and per a, pp. 254-262). Non- standard forms are also presented in detail when

they enjoy widespread usage in the oral lan-

guage, as is the case with clitic pronouns and their combinations (pp. 170-171, 210-211) and with certain relative clauses (pp. 536-538), for instance. Example sentences are generally con- structed, as opposed to being taken from literary or other sources. This practice has the advantage of avoiding the inclusion of material that may distract from the point being illustrated.

Given the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the information presented, this book is destined to become an essential tool for advanced learners and teachers of Catalan. Because the book is pri- marily intended as a reference book, its index is an important element. I disagree with the authors' decision to refer the reader to sections instead of pages in the index. For instance, a reader who wants to know about the idiomatic

expression Deu n'hi do., translated in the text as "lit. May God provide (some of it to him/her)," is

The Modern Language Journal 85 (2001)

ture of the book is appropriate for its intended use as a reference grammar. In addition to a preface where issues such as status of the lan- guage, dialects, and stylistic variation in Catalan are discussed, the book is divided into five main parts: "Noun Phrase Constituent"; "Adverbs, Prepositions, and Conjunctions"; "Verbs"; "Sen- tences Types"; and "Information Structure and Word Order." The book is completed by a sec- tion that covers spelling, accent marks, and punctuation, plus further reading and biblio- graphical references and an index. The bulk of the book is thus devoted to morphological mat- ters. The intended reader has already acquired some basic knowledge of Catalan and will use this book either for further study or for refer- ence. The complexities of Catalan grammar are

presented thoroughly and with abundant exem-

plification of both regularities and exceptions. Difficult topics for the advanced student of Cata- lan, such as the gender of nouns, the shape and order of clitic pronouns, verbal morphology, and the use of certain prepositions, are treated in admirable detail, with ample coverage of re- gional variants. The focus of the description is standard Catalan, broadly conceived. In addition to providing a quite systematic description of re-

gional variation (especially of those aspects where the written Valencian and Balearic re-

gional standards deviate from the Catalonian norm, most notably certain points of verb mor-

phology), the book gives useful information on

register and style as well as on points of fluctua- tion in the norm (such as the correct use of the

prepositions per and per a, pp. 254-262). Non- standard forms are also presented in detail when

they enjoy widespread usage in the oral lan-

guage, as is the case with clitic pronouns and their combinations (pp. 170-171, 210-211) and with certain relative clauses (pp. 536-538), for instance. Example sentences are generally con- structed, as opposed to being taken from literary or other sources. This practice has the advantage of avoiding the inclusion of material that may distract from the point being illustrated.

Given the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the information presented, this book is destined to become an essential tool for advanced learners and teachers of Catalan. Because the book is pri- marily intended as a reference book, its index is an important element. I disagree with the authors' decision to refer the reader to sections instead of pages in the index. For instance, a reader who wants to know about the idiomatic

expression Deu n'hi do., translated in the text as "lit. May God provide (some of it to him/her)," is

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.111 on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 00:28:52 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Reviews Reviews

referred to section 12.9.3.4. Making an effort to

keep this series of numbers in short-term mem-

ory, the reader will find that this section starts on

page 208, but will not find the expression in ques- tion until page 210.

This book will also be an important reference for the general linguist interested in finding in- formation about particular points of Catalan

morphology or syntax for theoretical or typologi- cal purposes. Nevertheless, the fact that examples are not provided with morpheme-by-morpheme or word-by-word glosses may make it less accessi- ble to researchers who don't have some familiar-

ity with Catalan or with at least some other Ro- mance languages. Similarly, the usefulness of the book for readers with some linguistic background but without previous knowledge of Catalan could have been increased by including some brief in- formation on the phonological system of the lan-

guage, beyond the few notes in the "Spelling" section at the end of the book.

JOSE IGNACIO HUALDE

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

CHINESE

referred to section 12.9.3.4. Making an effort to

keep this series of numbers in short-term mem-

ory, the reader will find that this section starts on

page 208, but will not find the expression in ques- tion until page 210.

This book will also be an important reference for the general linguist interested in finding in- formation about particular points of Catalan

morphology or syntax for theoretical or typologi- cal purposes. Nevertheless, the fact that examples are not provided with morpheme-by-morpheme or word-by-word glosses may make it less accessi- ble to researchers who don't have some familiar-

ity with Catalan or with at least some other Ro- mance languages. Similarly, the usefulness of the book for readers with some linguistic background but without previous knowledge of Catalan could have been increased by including some brief in- formation on the phonological system of the lan-

guage, beyond the few notes in the "Spelling" section at the end of the book.

JOSE IGNACIO HUALDE

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

CHINESE

SUN, SYLVIA HENEL. The Development of Lexical Tonal Phonology in American Adult Learners of Stan- dard Mandarin Chinese. Manoa: University of Hawai'i, Second Language Teaching and Cur- riculum Center. Technical Report #16, 1998. Pp. xxiii, 296. $20.00, paper.

SUN, SYLVIA HENEL. The Development of Lexical Tonal Phonology in American Adult Learners of Stan- dard Mandarin Chinese. Manoa: University of Hawai'i, Second Language Teaching and Cur- riculum Center. Technical Report #16, 1998. Pp. xxiii, 296. $20.00, paper.

This exhaustive study of the acquisition by Ameri- can learners of Modern Standard Chinese (MSC) of specific tones uttered in single (mono-, di-, or

tri-syllabic) words examines in detail students'

perceptions of native-speaker produced tones, student-produced tones, and students' percep- tion of student-produced tones. A lengthy chap- ter is devoted to each of those topics, preceded by a clearly written and helpful introductory chap- ter, and followed by an equally helpful conclud- ing summary.

The results are generally not surprising. Diffi- culties in perception and production are not equal across the four tones, and the second tone (with a high rising contour) remains the most difficult for American students to perceive and produce accurately. Contexts of all sorts (word class, length of word, position within utterance,

This exhaustive study of the acquisition by Ameri- can learners of Modern Standard Chinese (MSC) of specific tones uttered in single (mono-, di-, or

tri-syllabic) words examines in detail students'

perceptions of native-speaker produced tones, student-produced tones, and students' percep- tion of student-produced tones. A lengthy chap- ter is devoted to each of those topics, preceded by a clearly written and helpful introductory chap- ter, and followed by an equally helpful conclud- ing summary.

The results are generally not surprising. Diffi- culties in perception and production are not equal across the four tones, and the second tone (with a high rising contour) remains the most difficult for American students to perceive and produce accurately. Contexts of all sorts (word class, length of word, position within utterance,

etc.) make a difference. The amount of formal

training that students have had seems to make a difference, but the other variables that affect that variable are numerous and indeterminate (e.g., relation of content of instruction to test speech, relative emphasis instruction placed on accuracy in tones, speed of classroom speech). Although it remains obvious that instruction helps, it is not clear from this study what sort of instruction is the most helpful.

The principal virtue of this book is its thor-

oughness and explicitness. As an experimental study, this work is based on questionnaires about relevant language background and on tests, and Sun includes in appendices both the full ques- tionnaires and all of the lists of words that the

subjects either heard or were asked to utter. Even included are the Human Subjects Consent Form used and the list of gifts offered to subjects as

compensation for their participation! To this reader, at least, it appears that the endlessly de- bated questions about L2 MSC tonal acquisition that can actually be settled through the use of

single-word tests have been settled once and for all. This type of investigation will not require repetition or further argument.

Such a complete study of the branches and

twigs of lexical tone learning naturally leaves to others the task of describing the forest in which these highly specific elements are to be found. A student of language pedagogy will look at Sun's discussion of listening tasks and the amount of instruction that students may have had in light of Krashen's input hypothesis and want to know how much listening practice students have had in their prior instruction, because that could well be a key variable. The comments on student produc- tion and student correction must be examined in terms of Krashen's monitor model, together with a construction of the stages of interlanguage through which American students of MSC pass. One plausible hypothesis would be simply that American students develop early on a two-tone

interlanguage based on pitch (Sun demonstrates conclusively that Americans respond more to pitch than to contour, as has long been sus- pected) and that the immediately principal learn- ing task thereafter is one of differentiation of contour. Further, syllabic or lexical tonal accuracy disappears with further learning insofar as fur- ther learning adds length and syntactic complex- ity to utterances.

This book seems to be rather free of errors. This reviewer has not tried to recalculate the in- numerable statistics given here, and so there may be such mistakes there, but that is doubtful. The

etc.) make a difference. The amount of formal

training that students have had seems to make a difference, but the other variables that affect that variable are numerous and indeterminate (e.g., relation of content of instruction to test speech, relative emphasis instruction placed on accuracy in tones, speed of classroom speech). Although it remains obvious that instruction helps, it is not clear from this study what sort of instruction is the most helpful.

The principal virtue of this book is its thor-

oughness and explicitness. As an experimental study, this work is based on questionnaires about relevant language background and on tests, and Sun includes in appendices both the full ques- tionnaires and all of the lists of words that the

subjects either heard or were asked to utter. Even included are the Human Subjects Consent Form used and the list of gifts offered to subjects as

compensation for their participation! To this reader, at least, it appears that the endlessly de- bated questions about L2 MSC tonal acquisition that can actually be settled through the use of

single-word tests have been settled once and for all. This type of investigation will not require repetition or further argument.

Such a complete study of the branches and

twigs of lexical tone learning naturally leaves to others the task of describing the forest in which these highly specific elements are to be found. A student of language pedagogy will look at Sun's discussion of listening tasks and the amount of instruction that students may have had in light of Krashen's input hypothesis and want to know how much listening practice students have had in their prior instruction, because that could well be a key variable. The comments on student produc- tion and student correction must be examined in terms of Krashen's monitor model, together with a construction of the stages of interlanguage through which American students of MSC pass. One plausible hypothesis would be simply that American students develop early on a two-tone

interlanguage based on pitch (Sun demonstrates conclusively that Americans respond more to pitch than to contour, as has long been sus- pected) and that the immediately principal learn- ing task thereafter is one of differentiation of contour. Further, syllabic or lexical tonal accuracy disappears with further learning insofar as fur- ther learning adds length and syntactic complex- ity to utterances.

This book seems to be rather free of errors. This reviewer has not tried to recalculate the in- numerable statistics given here, and so there may be such mistakes there, but that is doubtful. The

157 157

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.111 on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 00:28:52 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions