Focuses on theories concerning the origin of language. The article indicates that the language-origins theories most favored in contemporary science all have their roots in the intellectual preoccupations of the early scientists and philosophers of the European Enlightenment. The article concludes that the origin of language myth reveals itself as…

NELLE (Networking English Language Learning in Europe) is the professional umbrella organization actively networking all forms of local, regional, national, and international organizations and activities concerning language teaching. Founded to prepare for the European Union, NELLE now links 45 organizations in 22 countries. Aims include…

Argues that discussion of the role of English in development fails to recognize the success of narrowly focused community-based projects, in which basic first language literacy rather than English education is the goal. (Author/VWL)

The French language provides a context for comparison of the modernization efforts of Quebec and Madagascar, looking at the following issues: the beginning role of the language in the society, political influences, language needs for technology transfer and the introduction of terminology in societies with well-documented and poorly-documented…

Australia has a language paradox: great richness and great poverty of language resources. Despite its many cultures and immigrant groups, Australia emphasizes English-language assimilation and thereby endangers its chances for durable multilingualism. (MSE)

Tok Pisin, New Guinea Pidgin English, is becoming increasingly important as a "lingua franca" in Papua New Guinea, even though English is the country's official language. Urban versus rural and spoken versus written varieties of the pidgin are examined, and the influence of English on Tok Pisin is investigated. 73 references. (Author/CB)

Compares the cognitive representation of number of 24 American, 25 Chinese, 24 Japanese, and 40 Korean first-graders, and 20 Korean kindergartners. Chinese, Japanese, and Korean children preferred to use a construction of tens and ones to show numbers, whereas English-speaking children preferred to use a collection of units. (RJC)

Examines strikingly parallel claims concerning Japanese communication strategies, and female communication strategies in the West. Miscommunication between Japan and the West resembles miscommunication between the sexes in the West, suggesting not that Japanese linguistic behavior is not feminine but that it is indicative of the problems inherent…

Describes retraining of Russian teachers in Vygotskian perspectives as an educational innovation. Contextualizes movement toward Vygotsky in Russian education and begins assessing its implications for the Western context. Implications include rethinking the teacher's role in the classroom as socially constituted and reconsidering the nature of…

Outlines a text-based, interactionist approach toward writing and written communication. A brief analysis of the working drafts and revisions of a first-year college student's essay is offered to illustrate how key textual features function reflexively to establish and sustain the evolving but mutually held rational grounds of school writing and…

Contends that, though much attention is given in mathematics to the problem of sensitizing people to the need for identifying elements of a situation and representing them symbolically, little or no effort is devoted to the problem of helping them express the relationships among these elements. (11 references) (MKR)

Discussion of the role of language and dialogue in adult learning looks at dialogue as epistemology and at talk as learning. It is proposed that the challenge in teaching and retaining adult learners is to create dialogue-rich classrooms, including many external speech opportunities, small-group discussion, and group projects. (MSE)

Defines and discusses the concept of small languages. Topics addressed include political status; official status (e.g., as a national language); distinctiveness; robustness or the degree of feasibility; social function; education to support the language; functions of literacy; and appropriate technology for use with particular languages. (12…

Debate over the role of sexist language in promoting or denying equal job opportunities is examined, especially in institutions of higher education. It is concluded that the view that use of certain words leads to unfair discrimination is based on untenable theories of meaning, making policies for regulation of language indefensible. (Author/MSE)

Describes the way one teacher utilizes a variety of activities by which the power of language is analyzed and fostered among students of English. Describes methods for making dictionaries, playing with words, and chanting poetry. (HB)