The widespread problem of functional illiteracy within Canadian labor has been addressed recently by a number of agencies and the press. In times of economic difficulty the outlook is bleak but not hopeless, and the issue must now be kept before the public to encourage effective action. (MSE)

Discusses the need to be flexible and restructure foreign language departments and courses to meet student needs. Describes a four-year, second language program with a nonliterary emphasis, designed for nonforeign language majors as one way to do this. (EKN)

Two studies of the communication skills of orally educated, deaf elementary school children are reported. Severely and profoundly deaf children performed as well as hearing children on limited referential communication. Differences in performance were found among deaf children from three schools with different linguistic philosophies. (Author/DB)

An examination of studies concerning the functional organization of languages in the bilingual brain discusses several variables. Factors that may contribute to the organization of language include age, language proficiency, literacy, reading skills, type of script, language specific factors, social acculturation, teaching method, and style. (CJ)

Describes steps taken at the University of Pennsylvania to change foreign language requirement, including studies of student achievement by administering CEEB Language Achievement Tests and FSI Oral Proficiency Interview and the development of performance standards by faculty in order to make requirements proficiency-based. (BK)

Three media used in a longitudinal, cross-sectional investigation to determine the rate of artistic development in young children were clay modeling, drawing, and storytelling. The most significant result of the study reveals that artistic competence does not proceed upward across all media as the child matures. (JN)

Reports on a study of the relationship of English phonological variation to intelligibility for adult second language learners of English. Indicates that learners tested on their ability to understand working-class (New Yorkese), educated (Standard English), and Foreign-accented speakers of English found the standard more intelligible than the…

Characterizes the intermediate second language learner, taking into account the Gestalt nature of language. (HOD)

Comparability may be obtained for the Language Assessment Scale and the Bilingual Syntax Measure through a change in classification strategies which will also improve the equivalence of the tests and their correlation with achievement. Use of the tests along with teacher ratings should then provide meaningful criteria for classification.…

Examined whether toddler peers use hitting as a means of communication. Results demonstrated that hitting systematically resulted in different social outcomes for two-year-olds but not for one- or three-year-olds. The authors speculate that how gestures are used in nonverbal communication may change as verbal communication comes to dominate peer…

Two aspects of a study of the problems hearing people have in acquiring British Sign Language (BSL) are described: (1) the measurement of current skills in BSL of professionals in the field, and (2) current training programs in BSL in the United Kingdom and results of some controlled teaching situations. (Author/PJM)

Presents the results of three studies that support the hypothesis that there are two types of proficiency in second language learning, "compartmentalized control" and "integrated control." Relevance to the Monitor Model and a method of teaching for integration are discussed. (Author/AM)

Seventy-nine Latin American students at universities in Pittsburgh were studied to determine: (1) whether language proficiency varies between home and school domains; and (2) whether the relationship between language proficiency and attitude holds true when proficiency difference between two languages is small and subjects are highly proficient in…

Reviews literature dealing with the role of two-year colleges in educating foreign students. Examines community college enrollment of foreign students since the 1960s and explores related concerns in the areas of admissions, student finances, language skills, advisement, and cultural differences. Recommends several institutional responses to these…

Discusses the value of existing models of minimal language competencies, and makes suggestions for their improvement and use. (AM)