This dissertation draws on both qualitative and quantitative approaches to investigate the linguistic practices of teachers and children who are learning Mandarin Chinese as a Heritage Language (CHL) in two dual immersion preschools in California. CHL children have been interpreted as novice members in local speech communities who actively explore…

This dissertation documents a collection of sociolinguistic and sociophonetic studies of the speech of bilingual Korean Americans in California. Korean Americans are an ethnic minority in the United States whose speech patterns in Korean and English remain understudied. The goal of the studies is to begin sketching out the acoustic traits that…

This article extends two conversations in the heritage language (HL) scholarship: 1) the need to strengthen the linguistic self-confidence among receptive bilinguals (who are typically associated with beginning-level HL students); 2) the need for more critical explorations of receptive bilinguals' self-reported, albeit minimal, spoken Spanish in…

In recent years, the World Languages field has witnessed an increased interest in service-learning (SL) initiatives. Many SL projects focus on the potential that Spanish-speaking communities offer students of Spanish, as a foreign language, to increase their language skills and cultural understanding of these communities. Some authors, however,…

The purpose of "Transforming Schooling for Second Language Learners: Theoretical Insights, Policies, Pedagogies, and Practices" is to bring together educational researchers and practitioners who have implemented, documented, or examined policies, pedagogies, and practices in and out of classrooms and in real and virtual contexts that are…

This is an analysis of California history of the shifting of language policies from Spanish to English, as an Official Language The focus is English as an imposed language that from the beginning of schooling policies stifle a process of language acquisition for the majority of Spanish speakers. In 1849 the California Constitution stipulated that…

Critiques controversies about Chicano dialects and, particularly, the linguistic status of Chicano English. Proposes a model of Chicano languages/dialects based on assumptions about the nature of the speech setting of Chicanos. Characterizes Chicano English as the autonomous vernacular dialect of native-English-speaking Chicanos. (70 references)…

An element seen to be lacking in the development of bilingual programs in California is a sensitivity to the sociolinguistic and psychological influences in Chicano language usage. These include the mixing in of American slang. (MSE)

Ten Hispanic families in which bilingual parents had chosen to maintain the use of Spanish in the home were interviewed. Explicit questions about rationales for this choice elicited answers related to instrumental benefits of bilingualism, but analyses of interviews as life stories revealed the necessity of repeated reaffirmation of this…

Mexican-descent families' language socialization experiences and the evolution of their bilingualism were examined through interviews with 63 third-graders and their parents of various immigrant generations and followup interviews with 38 families 4-7 years later. Interviews revealed extremely positive attitudes about English, Spanish,…

With this decision the Supreme Court of the United States reversed the judgments of lower courts and found that the failure of the San Francisco school system to provide English language instruction to approximately 1,800 students of Chinese ancestry who do not speak English denies them a meaningful opportunity to participate in the public…

This content analysis schedule for the Bilingual Education Program of the Healdsburg Union Elementary School District of Healdsburg, California, presents information on the history, funding, and scope of the project in its second year. Included are sociolinguistic process variables such as the native and dominant languages of students and their…

Reports two-year sociolinguistic study of English use by five immigrant children. Observational findings compare "substantial" and "minimal" English contacts by experienced children. Illustrates benefits and hindrances to English learning, and how contacts depend principally on children's English abilities. Discusses English…

This study investigates whether the age at which English becomes dominant for Western Armenian bilinguals in the United States affects their vowel production in Western Armenian. Participating in the study were ten Western-Armenian bilinguals who learned English before age 8, ten bilinguals who did not learn English until adulthood, and one…

This content analysis schedule for a Demonstration Bilingual Project of Stockton, California, presents information on the history, funding, and scope of the project in its second year. Included are sociolinguistic process variables such as the native and dominant languages of students and their interaction. Information is provided on staff…