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)

Examines the role of English in Hong Kong, which is the language of business and government, but where it is spoken as a native language by only 2 percent of the population. (JL)

Argues that the early childhood field should be renamed early childhood educare and that Vygotsky's sociocultural theory is a more appropriate theoretical framework for the field than Piaget's. Discusses the role of language, internalization of interpersonal processes, importance of intersubjectivity, and role of adult and peer tutors in…

The role that language plays in mediating the influence of verbal descriptions of persons on trait ratings of those persons was studied for 280 college students. Results suggest that the influence of verbally communicated descriptions of persons on trait ratings is mediated by the expected latent factors. (SLD)

A discussion of hermeneutics focuses on the central role of language in learning. Four areas of understanding, all realized through language, are identified. It is argued that, with a hermeneutic approach, both cognitive and student-centered approaches to teaching are transcended and fused into a broader conception of understanding. (Author/MSE)

A discussion of the role of the French language in Senegal first chronicles language and education policy from the colonial period until 1980, then cites research indicating that French is infrequently used for personal purposes. Recent initiatives to strengthen its status and usage, and obstacles to their success, are outlined. (MSE)

Explores the role that language plays in determining why, what, and how Latino youth learn in their communities. It highlights the fundamental, and often overlooked, resource that Latino English-Spanish bilingualism represents for building bridges between communities, homes, and schools. Strengthening bilingualism is a way to link homes,…

Investigates the role in learning of rote-learned formulas or chunks. Data were examined from a longitudinal study of 16 child beginner classroom learners of French for occurrences of three chunks, against which definitional criteria were tried out. These forms were then tracked for two years to chart their breakdown and explore their contribution…

Examines Hong Kong's new English language policy in education. Aims to show that the problems that have confronted English language policymakers in the past two decades owe their origins to the unique historical forces that have shaped the development of education and society in Hong Kong since the mid-nineteenth century. (Author/VWL)

Investigates the attitudes of Brazilian English-as-a-foreign-language learners toward the target language. The focus is on their perception of the importance of English as a language for international communication, the role of English within Brazil, and the learners' expectations of time and energy to be consumed in the learning of the language.…

In response to a previous article, this article expresses reservations about the status, development, and future of English as an International language. takes issue with the changing role and nature of the English language as a result of the project of creating a unified Europe. (Author/VWL)

Examines ways in which Noah Webster's linguistic theories and work on dictionaries influenced North American English lexicography, arguing that his impact on American education was great because his spellers and dictionaries monopolized a rapidly growing market, and influence on lexicography was substantial because he insisted on the validity of…