Spanish Sign Language (SSL) is now the second most used sign language. This article introduces resources for the study of SSL, including three SSL dictionaries--two from Argentina and one from Puerto Rico. Differences in SSL between and within the two countries are noted. Implications for deaf educators in North America are drawn. (Author/DB)

Ethnographic "New Literacy Studies" question the idea that literacy as such has any uniform effects, arguing instead that effects of literacy inhere in the social practices that impart it. What change, then, does literacy produce where it arrived from two opposed sets of practices? In Quechua-and Aymara-speaking villages on the high…

Includes annotations of six of the most beautifully illustrated, well-written, recently published books from Venezuela that are written in Spanish. (DF)

Regardless of the syntactic variation of the direct object "a" in Spanish, a great deal of semantic unity underlies its use. Argues that it carries an invariant meaning that is present in every use of the form, and, concomitantly, its absence before a direct object carries an equally invariant meaning within the systematic semantic structure of…

Examines form and gender correspondence rules for Spanish and attempts to evaluate them for potential utility to the foreign language user on the basis of formal and psychological criteria relating to how rules might affect performance, with specific reference to the role of rules as defined in monitor model. (Author/BK)

Analyzes the uses of "quien" as an interrogative and a relative pronoun with numerous examples from standard spoken Spanish. Emphasizes syntactic and contextual factors, as well as stylistic variations, and explains the contrast between "quien" and "que" as subjects of a relative clause. (MES)

After years of navigating independently, some 62 Hispanic organizations are "getting it together" and presenting a united front through the Forum. Article describes the awakening of Hispanic consciousness, the factors behind it, and the organization and mission of the Forum itself. (DS)

Reviews two works of fiction and three of nonfiction that have been translated from English to Spanish. (GT)

Discusses the use of service learning as a way of enhancing student learning, especially in oral comprehension, conversation, and cultural understanding. Highlights a study of University of North Carolina-Asheville students who worked in the local health department, reporting the degree to which service learning helped them meet the American…

Discusses IN-VISION, a 5-year technology challenge grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education that supports K-12 Spanish and technology use in rural schools. (Author/VWL)

Proposes a strategy for teaching Hispanic literature by women that effectively circumvents two major obstacles: (1) the absence of a strong tradition of female-authored literature in Spanish, and (2) the presumed inaccessibility of this literature for male readers. (18 references) (GLR)

The use of metadrama as the organizing principle for introductory college classes on Spanish Golden Age theater is discussed. Four categories of metadrama are the play within the play, the ceremony within the play, role playing within the role, and literary and real-life reference within the play. Examples are provided. (21 references) (LB)

Describes the author's directing experiences in Lima, Peru, and in San Migual de Allende, Mexico. Includes insights gained through work in both Spanish-spoken theater and bilingual Spanish-English theater. (SR)

The evolution of the Latin "teneo venio" to the Spanish "tengo vengo" is analyzed, including Menendez Pidal's influential treatment of the problem and some recent explanations. The hypothesis that loss of flexional yod was the fundamental cause of analogical structuring is reviewed, and a new hypothesis is proposed. (Contains 30 references.)…

An elementary school foreign language teacher reflects on her first year and a half of being a Spanish foreign language in the elementary school (FLES) teacher. Highlights challenges, frustrations, and positive aspects of the job. (Author/VWL)