The historical reversal over the course of several centuries in the West is striking: while language has become much "more" central to public life and "more" politically contentious, religion has become "less" central to public life and "less" politically contentious, notwithstanding the resurgence of public…

It has been noted that Chinese shows both satellite- and verb-framed properties (Beavers, Levin, & Tham, 2010; Slobin, 2004), a fact that offers the opportunity to explore the typological influence of learners' dominant language because they can choose either option to describe the same motion events and be grammatically correct. This study…

In Spain, more than 40% of the population lives in officially bilingual regions in which the minority language is used as a means of instruction at school and university. In addition, the increasing importance attached to learning English has led to the proliferation of multilingual school programs in which different languages are used to teach…

In 2006, Graddol predicted that numbers of "English as a foreign language" learners would begin to decline through the second decade of this century, as global English achieves basic skill status for children entering education in more societies across the world. As he further noted, having skills in additional languages may thus offer a…

This article explores adolescent students' attitudes toward learning English and other European languages studied at secondary school. The study is based on 2255 qualitative responses to a survey conducted in Bulgaria, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain. The data reveal that, although differences between countries shape the experience of foreign…

The majority of recent research on language learning motivation has reportedly focused on English as a target language, typically in relatively homogeneous, secondary and postsecondary "foreign language" settings. How applicable, then, are the theories and findings undergirding that research to our understanding of the contemporary…

Although it has existed for many decades in the national curriculum of U.S. higher education, the study of languages for business purposes has lacked a more serviceable and academically communal name--a more rigorous toponymic identity--by which to identify itself as a theory-based field of scholarship. The intention here is to propose for…

This article presents 2 case studies of intermediate university students of French, Casey and Melanie (both pseudonyms), and their developing use and understanding of stylistic variation over the course of an academic semester. It draws from a variety of data sources: classroom observation, learners' explanations of stylistic variants, learners'…

Discussions of multilingualism in education, as exemplified by the articles in this issue, can be critically reevaluated using perspectives available from poststructuralism. These perspectives focus on the potential ambiguity of language and language practices. This, in turn, encourages us to question simple notions of the relationship of learners…

This qualitative study provides preliminary insight into the role of the first language (L1) when pairs of intermediate-level college learners of French and Spanish are engaged in consciousness-raising, form-focused grammar tasks. Using conversation analysis of audiotaped interactions and stimulated recall sessions, we explored the ways students…

Critical review of Frederick J. Newmeyer's article, "Linguistic Theory, Language Teaching, Sociolinguistics: Can They Be Interrelated?,' in "The Modern Language Journal," v57 n8 p405-10 Dec 1973. (RL)

The pedagogical, literary and journalistic significance of the German language in early America is outlined. The earliest record of German instruction is in 1702 in Germantown, Pa., where, in 1742, the first German school for girls was established. The disruptive effect of the Revolutionary War on German language use is reported. (MS)

Discusses controversy between transitional versus maintenance bilingual education programs in Spanish. Claims policy of static maintenance cannot find support in a view of linguistic competence that considers language development to be complete by adolescence and the same among individuals. Suggests developing students' home language or abandoning…

Examines bilingual education policy in the United States claiming that the intertwining of policy positions, personal values, and social science in writings of proponents of bilingual education has not always regarded criticism in the fairest of lights. Suggests greater examination of implementation of cultural pluralism policy and role of…

Revised version of a paper presented at the Language-Learning Conference, Lake Wilderness, Washington, March 3, 1973. (RL)