The following similarities exist between the language situations of the United States and Australia: (1) both countries have developed and prospered through overseas immigration; (2) until recently, neither country has had a "de jure" official language, only a "de facto" one built around English; (3) in both countries…

The teaching of writing to students who speak nonstandard English can be difficult because students' linguistic differences rarely indicate true incompetence, and students' writing problems may result from conflicts between the cultures and language uses at home and school. Factors found to encourage writing improvement are the following: (1)…

Linguists generally refuse to make judgments about language or define standards of excellence for it. This perpetuates a fundamental paradox of descriptive linguistics: the inability to describe a language without providing a standard or setting a norm. The discipline's desire to escape from ethnocentrism has caused it to avoid a legitimate and…

Six propositions express central and crucial functions of language. Knowledge of these concepts constitutes language awareness, and they should therefore be used as a basis for designing language awareness curricula. They are that: (1) each individual has the ability to produce an unlimited number of different utterances from the limited…

This study examines the changing patterns of usage of Scottish Gaelic and English in the northern Scottish counties of Sutherland and Caithness during the period 1698-1901. The study explores the way these patterns resulted from processes found in different social situations. It is concluded that although the shift from Gaelic to English was not…

Because people meeting across cultures often carry with them misunderstandings and suspicions--relationship problems which must be resolved before any task can be completed--the phrase "problem-solving" must be defined more literally when applied to intercultural communication. Sources of cultural conflict must be recognized and…

This profile of the English language teaching situation in Morocco discusses the role of English within Moroccan society and within the educational system. The status of English as the second foreign language is noted, and the role of English in higher levels of education, from the second cycle of secondary school through university and vocational…

This profile of the English language teaching situation in Egypt examines the role of English in society and in the educational system. The status of English as the main foreign language and as the medium of instruction in a small number of influential schools is discussed as well as the extent and content of the university English course. Also…

This profile of the English language teaching situation in Colombia discusses the role of English in the educational system and in Colombian society. The status of English as the country's first foreign language is examined. It is noted that because Spanish is sufficient for most needs and because there is a relatively small number of Colombians…

This profile of the English language teaching situation in Senegal examines the role of English in society and in the educational system. It is noted that English is the principal foreign language studied, but that it is used very little as a means of communication. The English curriculum is described, especially the secondary school examinations,…

Research on the effects of bilingualism on cognitive development is reviewed, and two complementary models of bilingualism are developed to account for research results. It is suggested that research since 1960 shows a positive relationship between bilingualism and cognitive development, at least for some types of bilingualism. The advantage or…

The text of a classroom lesson on the distribution and use of the Portuguese language in African countries, written in Portuguese and containing an explanation of and practice in using the definite article with African place names, is presented. The lesson is accompanied by vocabulary notes in the margin, a list of questions on the text, and a mpa…

The surveys examined were made in several countries and at different social levels. The concept of an international language is attractive but which language should be chosen is a major issue. There is no systematic correlation between the second languages people learn and which language they think should be the international one. Available from…

Relates the history of the establishment of the International Court of Justice as of 1944. The major linguistic problem was to decide on which language should be used at meetings, for written communications and for legal documentation. The history of diplomatic languages is discussed. (Text is in French.) Available from Humanities Press, Inc.,…

Knowledge of foreign languages is important in facilitating economic and cultural relations between countries. The educational systems of countries should take this pragmatic aspect of foreign language instruction into consideration. (Text is in French.) (TL)