Results of a statistical study of the two imperfect subjunctive endings in Spanish and Latin American journalism show the use of "-se" to be decreasing, although usage is slightly higher in Spain. Use of the imperfect subjuntive with an indicative meaning is also slightly more common in Spain. (MSE)

Two major analytic procedures for estimating the number of children with limited English proficiency (discriminant analysis and probabilistic procedures) are described and strengths and weaknesses discussed. Synthetic cohort analysis (an expanded version of the probabilistic approach) is described and recommended as an alternate procedure for…

Suggests that children's use of social scripts for the production of sustained dialog in peer interaction depends on the nature of role play and that their attempts at script expansion are precursors to adults' recognition of the potential of conversation for self-expression. (FL)

Discusses the distinctions between the acquisition of a second language and of a foreign language. Proposes a tridimensional model for all varietal manifestations of foreign, second, and native language acquisition. Describes Singapore English and the English used by a group of Chinese-medium educated Singaporeans in terms of the model. (EKN)

Classroom interactional patterns by language choice and speech partner of six four-year old Spanish-preferring children in a bilingual preschool, observed over one year, indicated that those children using relatively more English with peers in the classroom and increasing their English usage over time generally showed the greatest increases in…

Describes how a popular publication with a newspaperlike format and content geared to teenage interests can be used to motivate reluctant readers and teach critical reading skills. (AEA)

Offers suggestions, exercises, and resources for teaching students how to study and appreciate language. (RL)

Suggests language used to depict the elderly is overwhelmingly negative. Points out many ageist terms are doubly offensive because they contain both ageist and sexist references. Urges the establishment of a set of guidelines for language usage in the various media to reduce ageism. (Author/RC)

This study investigates the language employed by classroom teachers. Results reveal a strong tendency toward the use of sexist language by elementary and secondary teachers and suggest, that through intervention techniques, the use of sexist language can be substantially reduced. (PD)

Presents a working definition of negativism and a reconstruction of its development in the first year of life. New issues concerning the origins and nature of negativism are raised in the light of recent findings concerning attachment, autonomy, and temperament. Special attention is given to the development of "No" and symbolic negation.…

Laments the lack of institutional commitment to language learning in most colleges and universities. To improve the situation, suggests the introduction, in selected departments, of substantive courses where students are encouraged or required to use their language skills, and evaluation of performance in the course replaces proficiency exams.…

Presents a schema for analyzing student writing on three levels: (1) the sentence from the perspective of syntactic maturity; (2) the text, an attempt to examine what affects a text's cohesion; and (3) discourse, the text considered for its efficacy and appropriateness. (AMH)

Two high school English teachers disagree on the efficacy of making jokes about racial and cultural stereotypes. (RL)

Suggests it is more valid to teach business students when it is and is not appropriate to use "commercialese" (stock phrases commonly used in business letters), than to launch a head-on attack on it. (GT)

Language is viewed as a nonhomogeneous hierarchical system, where complex correlations between a psychological/social dimension (external) and a linguistic dimension (internal) permit measurements of the stability and acceptability of its structures. Frequency of occurrence and integration in the system are presented as the key factors in the…