Memory, meaning and method: some psychological perspectives on language learning By Earl W. Stevick (review)

BRIEF NOTICES 503 is shouldered by the principles of word structure. The system of lexical suffixes thus plays a central role in the grammar, which in turn presents unusual problems for the lexicographer. H does a remarkably good job of isolating the basic elements of lexical structure without doing violence to the complex nature ofthe occurring words ofthe language. He presents a wealth of data on each item, making manifest the way it fits into the larger network of lexical relations. In addition to the semantic and cultural information which each entry contains, there is an unusually comprehensive description of its grammatical properties. For each stem or suffix, a variety of different formations are cited to illustrate its combining possibilities and such morphophonemic variation as it may undergo. Two other sorts of information are also provided which deserve special note. First, a great many of the formations described are illustrated in complete sentence contexts; this is invaluable in a language of radically unfamiliar structure, and makes much clearer the other information given about a word. Second, many entries contain information on what formations are not possible. In a language in which derivation, compounding etc. are sometime things, it is perhaps adequate for a dictionary simply to register the observed forms; but in a language where lexical formations are at the heart of the grammar, it is nearly as important to mention limitations on productivity as it is to note the basic processes themselves. A considerable amount of information is also provided on relations and differences among lexical items, with much crossreferencing to other entries. The work is completed by a short but useful English-toPuget -Salish index. Throughout, technical terms are avoided where possible, or are explained in a natural way so as to maximize the potential usefulness of the book for the non-linguist. This is by far the most comprehensive dictionary yet attempted for any Salishan language. It will be ofgreat interest to students of other languages of the family, to those interested in Northwest Coast history and culture, and (one may hope) to the speakers of the language who are interested in preserving and passing it on. In addition to the information which it provides on Puget Salish—and, by example, on the structure of of Salishan languages generally—this work also constitutes an excellent model for lexicographers. It is a masterful job on all counts, done with a suitable humility and an abiding concern for the Indian people whose language it describes so well. [Stephen R. Anderson, UCLA.] Memory, meaning and method: some psychological perspectives on language learning. By Earl W. Stevick. Rowley, MA: Newbury House, 1976. Pp. 177. $5.95. In this three-part 'essay', Stevick develops a personal answer to a paradoxical question (p. 105): Why does Method A (or B) sometimes work so beautifully and at other times so poorly? Part 1, 'Memory', surveys some research on the biological bases of memory, and concludes that it has electrical, biochemical , and affective aspects. S also surveys a selection of previous research on verbal memory. While agreeing that memory enhancers such as 'chunking', 'association', and 'subjective organization' (among others) have some application to language learning, S proposes depth as the key to language acquisition. This is not merely the 'cognitive depth' of the verbal-learning psychologists, but a depth involving the learner's total personality. Shunning certain current assumptions about language pedagogy, S suggests that only materials meeting the long-term intellectual, practical, or social needs of the learner will achieve depth and thus be effectively assimilated. Part 2, ' Meaning', presents the main point of the book (160): 'Memory is a by-product of Meaning, and Method should be the servant of Meaning, and Meaning depends on what happens inside and between people.' S thus uses the term 'meaning' in a rather special way: it refers to the effect that participation in language classroom activities (e.g. drills, dialogs etc.) has on the students and the teacher, in terms of their needs and drives. He then uses the framework of transactional analysis to examine student and teacher roles with respect to interpersonal relations in the language classroom, offering ways of modifying conventional drills and exercises...