Describes the development of a domain model for English article usage which has been implemented within an Intelligent Language Tutoring System. Notes that in order to develop a domain model of a language or an aspect of a language, it is necessary to formalize the native speaker's knowledge in a way that is representationally adequate and…

Argues, with a theoretical focus, that evidence of cross-linguistic influences on language use can and ought to be enlisted in second language (L2) attrition research to clean up "spontaneous speech data." Notes that since L2 attrition researchers have little control over the content of the spontaneous speech data they use, they need the…

Ten Hispanic families in which bilingual parents had chosen to maintain the use of Spanish in the home were interviewed. Explicit questions about rationales for this choice elicited answers related to instrumental benefits of bilingualism, but analyses of interviews as life stories revealed the necessity of repeated reaffirmation of this…

Examines growth of metropolitan Miami's Spanish-language economy and the economic and cultural advantages of a multilingual workforce. Discusses Hispanic and Latin American businesses, Spanish-language media, statewide and local Spanish instructional programs, Dade County census data on language use and educational attainment, a Miami business…

Examined whether Chinese is used in tertiary-level English classrooms in China, and if so, how often and for what purposes. Also examined the attitudes of the students and teachers toward using Chinese in the EFL classroom. (Author/VWL)

Examined Grade 8 French immersion students use and accuracy of pronominal verbs within one of two tasks--jigsaw or dictogloss--while working in pairs. Two groups of students viewed a videotaped mini-lesson on pronominal verbs, while another two did not. Found that the mini-lesson had a significant impact on students' use of pronominal verbs in…

An exploration of the increasingly important role of linguistics in literacy research and instruction reviews literature on reading comprehension, written language, orthography, metalinguistics, classroom language use, reading disabilities, native tongues, nonstandard dialects, bilingual education, adult literacy, and second-language reading. (86…

Presents classroom activities (based on "Language in Thought and Action" and intended for use at various grade and ability levels) divided into four areas of general semantics: (1) language as symbolic process; (2) meanings of words in context; (3) referential and emotive language; and (4) relationships between language and thinking.…

Explores how written text emerges from classrooms and wider socio-cultural contexts by examining writing in art, English, biology, sociology, history, and geography classes in a London secondary school. Asserts that writing is a mode of inquiry embracing a variety of language transactions as students make meaning of their world. (MM)

In a follow-up project, this study examined how and when six university language teachers actually used English and the target language in the classroom. Results suggest that switches to English may be made to help maintain classroom order, to create solidarity or empathy, to cover lack of experience or strategies, or to rephrase or modify their…

Following a brief discussion of legal and academic statements on mandatory bilingual education and mainstreaming, three models of the Planned Alternation of Languages (PAL) approach are described as a way to prepare students for mainstreaming. PAL allows for both languages to have feasible functions and support learners through acquisition of…

Ngee Ann Polytechnic, a leading postsecondary technical institution in Singapore, offers English for academic and occupational purposes to prepare students for writing their final year projects. This article discusses the approaches used in Mechanical Engineering and Biotechnology projects. A sample exercise is appended. (Contains two references.)…

A case study is reported of a mature-aged Aboriginal woman who acquired the academic literacy necessary for participation in university education. It suggests the possibility that members of marginalized minority groups can acquire the literacy practices of the dominant society without becoming complicit in them. (Contains 19 references.) (LB)

Arguments for students' use of their first language as well as English in the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classroom are reexamined. Pedagogical and political aspects of ESL instruction are noted. (LB)

In "Vygotsky and ESL Literacy Teaching," Cazden uses examples from South Africa to discuss internalization of socially acquired language, instruction as "scaffolded assistance," and social meanings of English-as-a-Second-Language literacy. In "Cummins, EAP, and Academic Literacy," Starfield focuses on a University of…