A survey of 184 regular classroom teachers at a summer workshop at a state university in the Rocky Mountain Region investigated teacher knowledge and attitudes about linguistic diversity in the classroom. Data was gathered on the teachers' background, kind and amount of assistance provided to teachers with limited-English-proficient (LEP) students…

Dealing with the relationships among language, communication, and culture, the 12 papers in this collection are divided into three parts. The first part deals with the critical issues related to language acquisition, context, and cognition. The second part presents an array of perspectives in analyzing the role of language in comparative…

General theory of transfer of knowledge and skill in learning second languages and ways in which language awareness may contribute to second language learning are examined. It is concluded that while recent second language acquisition research work and theories do not support or refute transfer of general language principles to the learning of…

This profile in outline form of the English language teaching situation in the Sultanate of Oman examines the role of English in society and in the educational system. The predominance of English as the most important foreign language is noted, and its status as a compulsory subject in elementary and secondary school is discussed. The composition…

Three examples from the colonial era show the different ways and purposes of learning Indian languages. It is described how this knowledge served both sides in the Revolution, and imporved communication during peacetime. (MS)

A native English-speaker explores the reasons why she persists in speaking her husband's native language, Chinese, at an intermediate level at home, despite the fact that she lives in the United States. She looks, in a humorous way, at the errors she has made in learning Chinese, some cultural contexts for language choice, the importance of…

Significant because of deliberate attempts to manipulate the use of two languages in the instructional process, the role of language in the bilingual classroom has been studied from four main points of veiw, each of which is examined in terms of implications for bilingual education. (SB)

Examines attempts of the foreign language teaching profession to implement reforms, focusing on the "Standards for Foreign Language Learning" (1996). (48 references) (Author/CK)

A study revealed two problems that influence Australian students' attitudes toward the learning of Indonesian. Internal problems related to use of teaching facilities. External problems included (1) lack of knowledge about Indonesia in Queensland, (2) lack of awareness of importance of learning Indonesian, (3) marginal position of Indonesian in…

A brief annotated bibliography highlights theoretical issues, principal studies, and factors influencing second language retention, including initially attained proficiency levels, supportive environment, exposure to foreign languages, maturity and general self-awareness, literacy and its onset, and the perceived need for the language after…

Four instructional ideas for use in the French second-language classroom are described, including an exercise in the temporal aspect of French past tenses; part of a series on simulating a French village community; a verb tense drill set in the context of a murder mystery; and an exercise in current French street slang. (MSE)

The national language Bangla (Bengali), which is spoken by 98% of the people, is foundational to the nation of Bangladesh as a nation. Language played a crucial role in the struggle for independence from Pakistan which was finally successful in 1971. The medium of instruction in state-provided basic education is Bangla. Nevertheless, as in the…

English is hot in many foreign language schools abroad, and as the trend accelerates, so too has debate over the value of English in a global society. English-only countries steadfastly cling to their strong historical connection to imperialism, and monolingualism at the risk of losing their share of the world marketplace. While advocates of…

This paper analyses classroom discourse in Finnish EFL classrooms where English is the object of study and content-based (Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)) classrooms where non-language subjects are taught in English. The students in both groups are Finnish teenagers. Approaching the data from a discourse-pragmatic perspective, the…

In order to become "the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion" the European Union realizes its people as the most important asset. Moreover, every human becomes a value for the whole society. It makes significant to…