The future of endangered languages is discussed, drawing on experiences in development of an atlas of language. Issues in the debate over language maintenance are examined, including the emotion-laden concept of ethnicity and relative youth of the concepts of human rights and linguistic geography. The fact that the atlas in question indicates only…

A study was undertaken to identify cultural, linguistic, and family factors affecting the academic performance of four Chinese students in the United States. Subjects were eighth-grade students who had come to the United States 3 to 5 years earlier, all native Mandarian speakers and all enrolled in a public school bilingual program where they had…

A study examined the influence of a humorous genre study on children's writing from writer's workshop and children's projects during a language arts period. The study explored the type of humor selected by children to assimilate into their writing and projects. Humorous material with ambiguous language was presented in multiple formats of print,…

A study investigated the kinds of English literacy experiences of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students in a an all-English mainstream classroom, the conceptualizations of ESL students and their English language literacy learning held by a monolingual English-speaking teacher, and instructional strategies used to facilitate ESL students'…

This paper analyzes two student papers, "Pygmalion" and "Waiting to Inhale," in terms of the type of thinking demonstrated in them. It examines the difference between higher order patterns of thinking evident in advanced or adult writers and patterns of thinking in young writers or students. The study reported in the paper…

A study investigated the English language acquisition of three native Spanish-speaking children in a bilingual preschool, focusing on the spontaneous use of English when play-acting at being superhero figures from popular children's culture. The occurrence of this voice is contrasted with the children's use of Spanish for other types of play and…

Five papers address issues in language learning and teaching in multicultural environments. "Namibian Educational Language Planning: English for Liberation or Neo-Colonialism?" (Robert Phillipson, Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Hugh Africa) examines decisive factors in choice of language for instruction, focusing on the choice of English and the…

This guide offers ideas and techniques for projects designed to enhance the social and linguistic experiences of students participating in international exchanges. The first section outlines potential topics and procedures for projects conducted in the home, school, or local environment during stays in foreign countries. Most are based on site…

A study of the heritage language programs (HL) offered by four Ontario (Canada) school districts is reported. Through surveys and interviews of 3 program administrators and 42 teachers, it investigated effective current practices and needs for additional support. Administrators were asked about the scope and delivery of programs and their…

A discussion of Nigeria's national language policy looks at the official structure for language instruction, its rationale, and perceived problems and possibilities. The policy requires that the mother tongue or language of the immediate community be the medium of instruction at pre-primary and early primary levels, with English emerging as medium…

Seven false but common assumptions about bilingual learners are examined, and whole language principles offering alternatives to those assumptions are presented. The seven assumptions include the following: (1) learning proceeds from part to whole; (2) classes should be teacher-centered; (3) lessons should serve students' future needs; (4)…

A study investigated the utility of computer-assisted English second language instruction for limited-English-proficient (LEP) secondary school students in a system in which there was no regular bilingual or compensatory education offered. As a result of a home language survey and followup oral language proficiency test, three LEP or…

A study investigated factors in Chinese language maintenance among balanced and pseudo-bilinguals who are second-generation Chinese-Americans. Subjects were 12 fifth-grade students in a Chinese-language school; half were balanced bilinguals (proficient in both languages) and half were pseudo-bilinguals (those in whom skills are more developed in…

Four working papers from the 1992 Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota session, are presented. The first, "English Borrowing in Thai as Reflected in Thai Journalistic Texts," by James Kapper, looks at patterns of the influence of the English language on Thai. It is concluded that English has permeated Thai culture…

A collection of 27 syllabi for undergraduate and graduate courses on language and gender is presented. The syllabi come from a variety of departments, including linguistics, anthropology, English, French, German, and folklore. Special features of the collection include: syllabi for undergraduate and graduate courses; ideas for paper topics;…