Development of Somali literacy through romanization and a government campaign is described, as well as the parts played by educational reforms, Somali language modernization and expansion, government involvement, use of the mass media, use of poetry as artistic expression, and recognition of orthography as a key element in learning. (Author/MSE)

Presents a study of language, attitudes, and change in masculinity in two groups of Australian men. Claims that schools act as agents in constructing gender definitions. Cites a report finding that gender stereotypes abound in textbooks; career counseling; and teacher expectations. Argues that males are advantaged by this and will resist change.…

Analysis of 642 slang terms that college students use to characterize peers at Holy Cross College (Massachusetts) and University of California, Davis suggests that undergraduate slang usage is socially complex, the language is reflective of campus and academic life, and that it portrays undergraduate life from the perspective of dominant student…

Provides an overview of the different types of books about the use of English published in Japan and discusses some of the controversies about the role of English in Japan. New directions in the use of English are described that are reflected in new courses in the school system and in publications aimed at English-speaking Japanese. (56…

Describes the development of the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) in response to a perceived threat by English language television to the Inuit culture and use of the Inuktitut language. Political issues are discussed; programing is described, including educational children's programs; and the use of technology to preserve cultural values is…

Describes junior high school students' understandings of some common non-technical words used in science classes and compares results for students in Botswana and England. Finds that considerable concerns remain about the way in which teachers use words in science. Concludes that the greatest problems occur with second-language students in…

This article explores the complex relationship between language and mathematics education in multilingual settings by presenting an analysis of one lesson from a multilingual primary mathematics classroom in South Africa taught by an appropriately qualified and experienced teacher. English emerged as a dominant language in this classroom, and this…

This paper considers the issue of non-target language representations analysing data from the acquisition of novel English synthetic compounds by bilingual (Basque-Spanish) speakers. Past research indicated that English L1 acquirers do not include regular -s inflection within compounds, whereas they do include irregulars (*"clawsmarks" versus…

A study examined variability in learner progress through a pre-university intensive English-as-a-Second-Language program as it relates to 36 language learning background variables (e.g., formal English training and exposure, motivation, etc.) and four entry-level proficiency variables. Subjects were 201 Indiana University students. Success was…

It is suggested that trends in federal and state policy formation are working against the advancement of second language education in Illinois. While the passage of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act at the federal level was a positive step, legislating that foreign language be part of the core curriculum, a subsequent state policy draft excluded…

The structure and administration of the Paris Chamber of Commerce Examination of French language proficiency is described, and methods of classroom preparation for the examination are presented. The exam certifies French proficiency at two levels: certificat (language skills necessary to conduct business effectively in the francophone world) and…

Based on examination of a number of international business (IB) textbooks, all of which were found deficient in their treatment of the cross-cultural aspects of IB, 12 principles that should be reflected in the content and construction of IB texts are presented, with explanation and illustrations: (1) understand that culture is the basis of…

A study investigated beliefs, attitudes, and values upper-division college students have about gender and sexuality and how language is a medium by which these ideologies are created, challenged, and maintained. Further, it looks at how these ideologies are interdependent and interrelated, how symbolic systems of the campus interact as students…

The discussion of corpus planning for the Southern Quechua language variety of Peru examines issues of graphization, standardization, modernization, and renovation of Quechua in the face of increasing domination by the Spanish language. The efforts of three major groups of linguists and other scholars working on language planning in Peru, and the…

The report details results of the 1995 National Household Education Survey concerning home language use, English language proficiency, and participation in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes. The survey found that about 12 million adults reported speaking a language other than English at home. Of these, almost 11 percent had participated…