This paper presents a summary of recent investigations on cognitive development through the first and second language in a bilingual program. The "Glossodynamic Model" of language learning is presented as a basis for explaining how the child's cognitive and affective development are enhanced by bilingual stimulation. (Author/SJL)

The training of secondary school teachers of native language in Africa must provide them with suitable linguistic skills, contextual information about the cultural milieu of the target language, and appropriate attitudinal orientation as well as professional skills. (JMF)

Discusses the problems of language policy and planning in terms of past history. Two principles most basic to language policy orientation are: (1) principle of personality (the state accommodates itself to the individual's language preference), and (2) principle of territoriality (the individual accommodates to the language of the state). (JMF)

Claims that incorporating children's native language into school curriculum can make these languages integral to the learning process. Suggests that a responsive, language-rich curriculum encourages creative and effective communication and learning. Emphasizes that language learning and sharing are the essence of the additive model as opposed to…

Describes an approach to lexical meaning in multilingual primary classrooms illustrated in the "Word-Weaving" project in a British school. Word weaving is a set of strategies to identify lexical demands of learning topics and to build opportunities for word meaning exploration into classroom discourse. (SLD)

A survey of literature since 1990 on minority languages and language rights focuses on five issues: definition of minorities; individual vs. collective rights; legal bases for minority linguistic rights; applications and interpretations of minority language rights; and assessments of the impact of minority rights legislation. A nine-item annotated…

Examines language use and language preference of children aged 6 to 15 and their parents at the University of Botswana. Results indicate that the majority of the children speak Setswana and English, despite the fact that they come from different language groups. Language preferences of children differ from that of parents. Shows the growth of…

Reports on aspects of an ethnographic study carried out in six newly integrated schools in post-aparthied South Africa. Presents evidence that these schools are sites of struggle between competing discourses that construct, maintain, and change social identities in these communities and the wider society. (Author/VWL)

Determined language proficiency among multilingual Indo-Fijian primary school children who have the languages, Fiji-Hindi, Standard Hindi, Urdu, English, Fijian, and Fijian English in their speech repertoire. Identifies the variables that affect multilingual proficiency in this group and determines whether classroom practice reflects educational…

A survey of 52 college students in the Sanbalpur District of Orissa (India) determined that they had favorable attitudes toward English. Students preferred English to Hindi as a link language with Oriya, and favored a two-language instead of a three-language formula in language study. (Author/LMO)

The large number of languages coexisting on the planet is a reminder of nature's universal penchant for diversity. Foreign languages are foreign in different ways to different populations, but when these differences are recognized, cultural pluralism can be accommodated. (MSE)

The hispanicization of Mayan immigrants in Los Angeles is explored, focusing on the patterns of usage of Mayan, Spanish, and English among men, women, and children, and the trend toward Spanish-English bilingualism. (Author/MSE)

Describes Nigerian childrens' typical preschool experiences, home environment, classroom organization, reading instruction, and textbook selection methods. Describes the problems associated with reading instruction in a multilingual society which has little existing instructional material in any of the 400 Nigerian languages. Suggests ways to…

This article addresses the challenges of conducting interviews in a multicultural/multilingual setting, focusing on an ethnographic case study of bilingual life and language choice in a Canadian factory mostly staffed with Portuguese immigrant workers. (nine references) (MDM)

It is argued that a shift from impressionistic measures of assessment to criterion-referenced measures provides a more detailed profile of the writing abilities of young adult writers. The usefulness of the Staged Assessments in Literacy (SAIL) scheme developed at the University of Manchester as a measure in multilingual settings is described. (45…