The development of accent and fluency are traced in the speech of 20 Mandarin and 20 Slavic adult immigrants to Canada over a period of 10 months. The participants were enrolled in an ESL program but had no special instruction in either pronunciation or fluency. The immigrants' self-reported exposure to English outside of class was used to…

This paper examines the questions of whether or not previous knowledge of Spanish (oral and/or written) interferes with an English as a second language (ESL) student's acquisition of English reading skills, which skills are affected, and what classroom techniques are successful in dealing with it. Two contrasting views of reading are examined:…

This issue contains articles ranging from a theoretical discussion of the nature of an international language to an assessment of the implications of teaching a local form of English. The following articles are included: (1) "International English and Language Variation," by M. Lester; (2) "The English Language, Ideology, and…

The three major dialect groups of Saudi Arabia are Hijazi, Najdi and Shargi. Hijazi is used for government and commercial purposes and is the most widely understood. This basic course uses the Hijazi dialect of Jidda, which is designated "urban" to distinguish it from Bedouin varieties. The book will provide students with the basic…

To become literate when we move from one part of the country to another with significant cultural differences, our first task is to learn the new culture so we can more effectively work with our colleagues and our students. When I moved from Bay City, MI, to Morehead, KY, there were many customs I needed to learn. Fortunately, what I learned…

This study examines how African American adult female students respond to a culturally relevant curriculum. Research confirms that adults enter college classrooms with a variety of experiences that they value and experiences to which they wish to connect. Black female students in particular possess knowledge unique to their positionality in…

This article discusses reasons for explicit pronunciation instruction, despite the continued neglect of this area in the communicative classroom. "ACTFL/NCATE Program Standards for the Preparation of Foreign Language Teachers (2002)" and "Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century" (National Standards, 1999) dictate that teachers…

This revised, updated, and expanded edition defines more than 8000 idiomatic words and phrases of American English. Each alphabetical entry has a grammatical explanation and an example sentence. The dictionary, which includes a preface in nine different languages, is a tool to help increase fluency in English for students, business travelers, and…

A study investigated why nonstandard "like" is used, how nonstandard "like" is used, and whether the users and hearers of nonstandard "like" view it as standard English. Subjects were 65 students taken from speech classes at Tulsa (Oklahoma) Junior College, Southeast Campus--53 of the students were users of…

Four topics covered in this volume include a pedagogical grammar of Tboli (Vivian M. Forsberg), Bantoanon phonology (Heather Kilgour and Gail Hendrickson), demonstratives in Aklanon narratives (Kristine Jensen and Rodolfo Barlaan), and behavioral discourse strategy in Eastern Bontoc (Takashi Fukuda). Tboli is a language spoken by people living in…

The work of Joseph Sargent Hall, a pioneer researcher in Appalachian studies, is chronicled. Hall was hired by the National Park Service in 1937, as a graduate student, to document the lives and lore of older mountain residents allowed to remain in the Great Smoky Mountains after the land was purchased for a national park. His early efforts…

A study of Black American spirituals focuses on African linguistic patterns that have persisted in them. The analysis begins with a brief account of the history and nature of Black spirituals, the sacred songs created by Americans of African descent during the time of slavery (1619-1864). Six elements of spirituals are identified and discussed,…

Analysis of a few short segments of discourse, produced by two Afro-American college students in a freshman composition class, demonstrates one obvious way in which young people in the United States are severely threatened by the educational system. "Darrell" tells the story of how he was suspended from high school by a respected teacher…

As an extension of African-Americans' rich language and musical heritage and abilities, rap music has some value in the educational setting. Rap music started as a dance fad beginning in the mid-1970s among Blacks and Hispanics in New York's outer boroughs. It is another generational brand of Black language and musical usage and an extension of…

Research on language in Hong Kong is reviewed, focusing on work in the areas of discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, and survey research. Discourse analysis studies examined include research on classroom language, discourse in other settings such as work environments, business telephone communication, news media discourse, and student language…