Indigenous communities, linguists, teachers, and language activists have been developing methods to revitalise endangered languages over several decades. Not only are these methods diverse, they are usually implemented in various ways according to local needs and aspirations. Language revitalisation methods focus on proficiency, but there is also…

To discover the extent to which academic register develops in language-minority children, it is important to describe the academic register of the minority language and then to develop instruments to measure its development. This article looks at the means that were developed to accomplish these two tasks of description and instrument development…

Discusses views of English as a second language (ESL) proficient adolescent non-native males in Great Britain toward language proficiency, explores possible educational implications of these attitudes, and suggests further research topics needed to improve ESL instructional goals and methods in British schools. (Author/CB)

Discusses the linguistic systems of children of Italian immigrants in Australia and the children's mastery of standard Italian and various dialects. Also reviews evidence for claims of the emergence of a new linguistic form labelled "Australitalian." (EKN)

Describes a bilingual education program for Finnish children in Sweden. Analyzes some of the factors influencing the school and language achievement of the Finnish pupils and compares their achievement level with other relevant student groups. (EKN)

This paper treats methodological issues involved in assessing linguistic competence in the field, specifically in bilingual fieldwork situations. First, the various means of assessment of linguistic competence that have been described and/or used are listed and commented on. Then the authors explain the choice of assessment methods for fieldwork…

Bilingual speakers report experiencing stronger emotions when speaking and hearing their first language compared to their second. Does this occur even when a second language is learned early and becomes the dominant language? Spanish-English bilinguals who had grown up in the USA (early learners) or those who were first exposed to English during…

Presents and evaluates the arguments and research evidence for and against mother tongue (MT) use in bilingual classrooms. The article endorses the claim that MT use bolsters second- language development, cognitive development, and content learning. Bourke's response focuses on arguments for and against MT use, recent research on MT use, and…

To find out which context variables relate to improvement in the second-language acquisition of migrant children in West Germany, a longitudinal study with a follow-up design with Turkish elementary school students was set up. The study was carried out using standardized tests and by conducting interviews with the pupils, their parents and…

Discusses current research on six bilingual elementary schools in Friesland, focusing on students' command of Dutch and Frisian, and on school policies concerning Frisian as an instructional subject. The proportions of Frisian- and Dutch-speaking children in an area, the pedagogical and sociolinguistic climates, and the problems associated with…