The present paper reports on a study conducted in 1973, designed to measure the English competence and performance of bilingual fourth graders in selected schools in southern Arizona and the extent to which the first language (Spanish) interfered with the second (English). The study also attempted to determine which patterns might yet be unlearned…

This paper discusses three linguistic theories related to communicative competence and English for special purposes in terms of the needs of post-graduate students in Guyarti, India. First, Hymes' theory of communicative competence is understood to be advocating a wider concept of competence than Chomsky's theory. Hymes states that a normal child…

This document considers the language arts instructional materials in use in the primary schools of Trinidad and Tobago and questions how effectively these materials cater to the development of competence in the English language by children whose vernacular language differs structurally in a fundamental way from Internationally Acceptable English.…

A Language-research experiment designed to examine the linguistic competence of bilingual Italian-American children demonstrates that structures shared by Italian and English are acquired in approximately the same order and at the same rate, and that the sequencing of specific structures reflects linguistic complexity. Structures appearing in both…

The goal of European immigrants to the United States was characterized by the "melting pot" image up until the late 1960's. Then a trend of revival of the identity of ethnic minorities changed the slogan to "from the melting pot to the salad bowl." Cultural pluralism and maintenance of native languages became the goals of the movement. The massive…

It is easier for non-English-speaking preschool children to learn new concepts if they are introduced in their own language. Once the child has mastered the concept, it can be introduced in the second language. The program described in this report is designed for Mexican-American preschool children. Content of the program is selected to relate…

At the root of many early childhood bilingual education programs is the widespread belief that the two languages must be used and taught in different contexts, since the failure to do so would inevitably produce a single mixed language. From a study of the results achieved over a ten-year period, it would seem that, if at least one of the…

The guidelines presented here consider important questions of English language proficiency for foreign students entering colleges and universities in the United States. Several problems are discussed: admissions, measurement of proficiency, responsibility of the institution, administration of the English-as-a-second-language (ESL) program, ESL and…