Examines a number of ways in which the process of natural acquisition of American Sign Language (ASL) from competent adult and child users of the language might directly enhance the learning of English. The natural acquisition of ASL, contact signing, and fingerspelling may enhance English language literacy. (45 references) (MDM)

To study lexical knowledge relevant for school success, 40 monolingual Dutch and 40 bilingual Turkish 9 and 11-year olds were asked to explain the meanings of common Dutch nouns in an extended word definition task. Compared to the monolingual Dutch children, the bilingual Turkish children allotted less extensive and varied meanings to Dutch words.…

Analysis of 72 reports comparing first- (L1) and (L2) second-language writing indicate differences between L1 and L2 writing with regard to composing processing and features of written text. Implications for L2 and L1 writing theory, comparative writing research, and assessment, placement, staffing, and instruction are discussed. (Contains 77…

Investigated the relationship between children's failures to produce unambiguous utterances and the mental effort demands in children (ages five, six, seven, and nine years), using finger-tapping and message production tasks, separately and simultaneously. Findings suggest that the relative effort requirements of communication decrease with…

In light of the articles in this issue, this article discusses the role that language planning plays in the building of communities and nations, focusing on American Indian language and bilingual education. Also examined is the impact of the Native American Languages Act on the maintenance of indigenous language and cultural resources. (four…

Compares previous findings on the social correlates of the "Usted,""Tu," and "Vos" variation in three Latin American countries. All the countries have a non-solidarity function in the party (toward strangers) and the workplace (toward subordinates and superiors) domains. It is difficult to assess the effects of age…

Investigates the Spanish literacy development of 20 low-socioeconomic-status Spanish dominant students learning in whole-language classrooms. Notes that the children used a variety of reading and writing strategies. Finds that students learned about meaning construction through the use of whole language and that meaning construction was associated…

Examination of the development of form/function relations of the prepositions "por" and "para" at different levels of proficiency in the interlanguage of study-abroad students in Granada, Spain, revealed "noncanonical" as well as "canonical" uses of these prepositions. The most common noncanonical uses were…

Examines the problems associated with interlanguage in French immersion and how teachers can use the writing process to help students develop the target language. It is suggested that language can be mediated through conferencing sessions, and in so doing, propel students into their zone of proximal development. (15 references) (Author/CK)

Examines children's variation in rate, style, and sequence of grammatical development, within and across natural languages. Using a sample of English and Italian infants, concludes that while there are structural differences between English and Italian that could affect the order in which nouns and verbs are acquired, no differences were observed…

A questionnaire and interview survey shows that Gaelic is no longer the language of the home for a majority of parents of preschool children, who are nevertheless very positive that their children should be bilingual by the end of primary school. About half seemed prepared to enroll their children in Gaelic-medium units if provided. (22…

A stage of research is reported in which teachers assessed the performance of 15 boys and girls who participated in group discussions as part of the General Certificate of Secondary Education English oral examination. Teachers were found to use different criteria to evaluate the contributions of boys compared to girls. (nine references) (Author/LB)

Argues that native English speakers who work in the Third World as academic or technical experts often face conflicts with locals because of communications difficulties arising out of differing understandings of linguistic code. It is suggested that native English speakers should undergo training in interethnic and intercultural communications…

Reports on a project incorporating pragmatic analysis into the second language classroom. Cooperative learning groups of first-year ESL students in a composition class analyzed variation in the use of linguistic features across a set of texts. Exercises of this type are asserted to be useful in promoting awareness of the different potential uses…

Examines the background and roots of the Welsh language and how it is being kept in existence and its usage increased. The maintenance of the Welsh language through literature, education, and journalism is described; radio and television broadcasting in Welsh is reviewed; and other influences are examined. (12 references) (LRW)