An assessment of the substantive progress made regarding the study of language contact and bilingualism in the Hispanic world explores research concerning language contact and grammars, the bilingual speech community and linguistic structure, and bilingual discourse. (45 references) (CB)

Chronicles the history of federal laws governing use of court interpreters, focusing on the Court Interpreters Act of 1978. The Spanish/English Federal Court Interpreter Certification Examination is discussed, and problems in state court interpreter selection, policy formation, and improvement of interpreting quality are presented. (Author/MSE)

Discusses the rise of Mexican Spanish as a distinct variety of Spanish and describes the regional and social dialects of contemporary Mexican Spanish. Although countless similarities exist between Mexican Spanish and the Chicano Spanish spoken in the southwestern United States, Mexican Spanish shows greater variability. (GR)

Offers several justifications for the claim that code-switching is a positive, not a negative, phenomenon. Included are three examples of "mixtilingual" poetry: poetry "mixing languages" in order to evoke different feelings and images within a certain cultural context. The poems mix English and Spanish, English and Italian, and Italian and…

Reviews literature regarding the intellectual and linguistic characteristics of Hispanic bilinguals, explores the understanding and proper use of psychometric tests with Hispanic children, and presents specific recommendations for the psychoeducational assessment of Puerto Rican bilingual children that involve the development and use of bilingual…

Examines some of the methods and materials that were used to teach reading by some of the first Spanish colonists in sixteenth-century colonial Mexico, and includes a discussion of picture writing, alphabetic script, and reading instruction methods and materials. (28 references) (CB)

The validity of results from international assessments depends on the correctness of the test translations. If the tests presented in one language are more or less difficult because of the manner in which they are translated, the validity of any interpretation of the results can be questioned. Many test translation methods exist in the literature,…

Folk dances from three regions of Mexico (Yucatan, Veracruz, and Jalisco) are examined. Emphasis is placed on the ways in which these folk dances reflect the history and cultural attitudes of the Mexican people and, particularly, on the influence of Spanish culture and history on Mexican folk dances. For the dances of each of these areas,…

The author reviews the literature on code switching (use of two languages within a turn of speaking) as part of the conversational speech in normal and retarded individuals, presents data on language interaction in the speech of seven developmentally disabled persons, and discusses the implications of these comparisons for program planning with…

Intervocalic features of Villa Mella Spanish, a dialect spoken in a region of Santo Domingo, are reviewed, with particular emphasis on the intervocal "d." (CB)

Latin Americans are displacing Blacks in the most menial and low paying positions as a rapidly increasing percentage of the various categories of dirty work are being occupied by Spanish speaking people. As Blacks move into less menial and better paying positions, a new underclass of Spanish speaking immigrant workers is being created. (Author/NQ)

Argues that, although Spanish/Mexican women have been important creative forces in shaping the development of California, their accomplishments have gone largely unrecorded. Describes the experiences of Spanish/Mexican women in California during the nineteenth century. Pays particular attention to the contributions of women in missions and on…

A review of the progress made in incorporating computers in second language study focuses on benefits of computer use, software problems, authoring systems, research on instructional effectiveness, and remaining areas to be addressed. (45 references) (CB)

Discusses linking language with notions of collective identity and peoplehood by undertaking an historical inquiry into the ways conceptions of language, peoplehood, and nationhood have been interconnected in Guatemala. Focuses on Mayan languages and how they constitute Mayans as a distinct people, as distinct nationalities with a long history.…

The dequeismo phenomenon is occurring more frequently in spoken Spanish in both Spain and in Latin America. Introduction of the preposition "de" before "que" in nominal complements exploits one recourse in Spanish, namely the deictic capacity of prepositional "de" as a marker or introducer of the speaker's…