The aim of this document is to give teachers and administrators the contextual and pedagogical tools for the late immersion program. It acts as a guide for beginning and experienced teachers who need to update their knowledge regarding this program and its details. For many working in this area, it also confirms their daily practices as well as…

Provides pedagogical rules for selecting relative pronouns in Spanish. Sixteen different linguistic environments in which relative pronoun usage occurs are categorized according to their different syntactic relationships and semantic intentions. (SL)

Sociolinguistic skills needed by hearing impaired children are analyzed, and socialization approaches undertaken by parents through presuppositions, stylistic variations, and pragmatics are reviewed. The importance of curricula in which students learn to respond to changing context is emphasized, and teaching strategies that provide models in…

Findings of sociolinguistic research that can be used by language teachers to elicit meaningful and authentic communication from their students are reviewed, including such factors as nonverbal cues, situation, intent, mood, and cultural norms. (MSE)

Romani is a language of Indo-Aryan origin that is spoken in Europe by people known as gypsies (who usually refer to themselves as Rom). There are upwards of 3.5 million speakers of Romani. This book discusses the historical and linguistic origins of the Romani-speaking population. It examines in-depth the changes in the sound system, grammatical…

This handbook is designed to give the kind of information about Arabic that will be useful to students of the language, specialists in the region where Arabic is spoken, or linguists interested in learning about the structure and use of one of the world's principal language. Three sections present the following: (1) "An Outline of Arabic…

This book discusses the centrality of rhetoric in the academy, asserting the intimate connection between language and knowledge making and stressing the need for a change in the roles of teachers and students in today's classroom. The goal is mutuality, or sharing authority between teachers and students, and allowing everyone an equal voice. For…

Notes that learning occurs in particular social contexts. Reviews research on actual classroom language -- specifically, instructional conversations-- along with work on emergent literacy and ability-based reading and writing groups. Discusses implications of the research for educational practice, policies, and students' learning. (RS)

This computer program, a mechanization of the handsorted techniques which geographical dialectology has been using, increases the number of hypotheses that can be explored and the various correlations that can be made. It can draw several of the kinds of maps that dialectologists have used in direct atlases. The hardware, software, and program…

Suggesting many ways (not just one way) to understand what children are doing with language and literacy, this book presents essays that address the need for alternative perspectives as well as anthropological, socio-psycholinguistic, and reader response perspectives in assessing children's language and literacy. After "Introducation: What Is an…

In order to develop an ecological theory of teaching, the classroom must be viewed as a sociological unit. The unit of interest was the teacher-student learning group. The basic question explored was: What is the relationship between human interactions and the physical and social contexts of the group? Teams of scholars met in seminars, each…

Presents a series of 10 true-false statements pertaining to dialect, then discusses the correct answers. (FL)

Examines language development in preschool children, focusing on teacher-child interactions that can help facilitate language development. Suggests that teachers, parents, and other adults need to respond to children's conversation, elaborate on children's language, and ask children questions. Argues that the best way to facilitate language…

Suggestions are offered to practitioners on how to consider situational variables in the assessment and remediation of childhood language disorders. Eight sociolinguistic principles, derived from research on normally developing children, are presented. Among the principles are those which state that sociocultural patterns may vary as a function of…

Provides suggestions for creating learning environments that affirm and value linguistic varieties, including adapting the school/classroom environment, promoting positive group and individual identities, creating school-family-community connections, diversifying the curriculum, providing students with sociolinguistic education, and teaching…