The data for this study consisted of a longitudinal corpus of narratives from 17 English second language (L2) children, mean age of 5;4 years at the outset, with first languages (Lls) that do not have definite/indefinite articles (Chinese, Korean and Japanese) and Lls that do have article systems (Spanish, Romanian and Arabic). We examined these…

In the discussion of English language spread policies, scholars have taken various viewpoints. One approach concerns the "diffusion-of-English" and "language ecology" paradigms, which distinguish externally dominant English spread and resistance to this hegemony. Others have questioned this approach, and proposed that English…

This newsletter continues to report on the use and instruction of English throughout the world. Articles here concern the status and role of English in Zaire, Portugal, Taiwan, Israel, Tanzania, and Burundi. One report discusses the work and scope of the Center for English Language Research and Teaching in Beirut; another article reports on…

Article stress the need to teach the local language as part of the process of completing the socio-cultural integration of foreigners. (Author/ML)

Describes research concerning the facilitation of pronunciation accuracy of sixty-one non-native speakers of English. The sample consisted of Arabic, Japanese, Persian, and Thai speakers. Twenty variables were considered. (Author/POP)

Discusses the political import of a controversial bill currently being debated in the upper house of Brazil's legislature that seeks to curb the use of English in all but a handful of situations. Examines the ambivalence toward the language and suggest it has to do with the difficult geopolitics of the region and the contradictions in has…

Focuses on Paul Maar's "Eine Woche voller Samstage," a children's novel revolving around the humorous and disruptive antics of the creature "Sams," and discusses its employment in the classroom as an opportunity to learn German and examine the role of language in the constitution of social, political, and cultural forms. (Author/VWL)

Examines the role of figurative languages--specifically analogy and metaphor, reification and simile, personification and animation--in two introductory-level science texts. (Author/VWL)

Discusses the value of second language (L2) learning and suggests that students who learn an L2 in school can develop literacy skills faster than students who do not learn an L2. Examines the role of metalinguistic awareness, the role of language learning in literacy development, and literacy in its cultural context. (Author/VWL)

Suggests adolescent second language speakers of English can better understand the second culture as embedded in the language, and feel more comfortable with expressing their sense of self through language, by discussing language and its use in the contexts of literary texts. Examines elements of the interface between language, culture, and…

This paper is a general study of one of varieties of English--China English and its influence on English Language Teaching (ELT) for English majors. The status of English as an International language breaks the situation in which British English or American English is the sole standard. English becomes World Englishes, taking on a plural form,…

Among several hundred indigenous languages, Bahasa Indonesia gained pre-eminence as the national language of Indonesia during the country's first 50 years of independence. The fall of Soeharto in 1998 and the subsequent devolution of power to the regions might have been expected to lead to a resurgence in use of local languages but instead it…

In an article on English and national identity, Spring gives a historical survey of the role of English and its relation to Japanese national identity. Although English was discouraged during World War II, as it was considered the language of enemy, it was again "made an important academic language and in 1956 was included in entrance…

Language is crucial in our lives and to all disciplines. It affects our well-being individually and collectively and touches important sociopolitical issues. Linguists/applied linguists have exciting opportunities for interdisciplinary research and to work in contexts personally meaningful to them. While language is the concern of all people,…