The results of two experimental studies of interference in German-Swedish bilingual and trilingual high school students are presented. Both were developmental studies with length of residence in Sweden as the main independent variable. The purpose was to follow the developmental changes in intra- and interlingual interference and to find out if…

A study investigated the issue of language background variability in the college students making up a psychology subject pool. A questionnaire survey of students at New York University revealed that 39 languages were represented and only 10% of the students indicated they were English monolinguals. Comparisons were made among students by…

Problems and issues in the field of native language proficiency assessment for Asian American students are examined. Language skills assessment in both English and the native language is a crucial step in the provision of equal educational opportunity to language minority students. Language assessment for Asian Americans, the fastest growing group…

Discusses problems posed by language differences in psychiatric diagnosis and management. Describes barriers encountered by linguo-cultural minorities such as Hispanics who use mental health care systems. Urges awareness of effect of language preference, language competence, bilingualism, and native tongue in planning and delivering mental health…

Summarizes the results of a survey documenting language use among the rural and urban populations, educational levels, occupations, and ethnic groups of Kazakhstan. Reveals that efforts to promote Kazakh over Russian have largely failed. Includes a wealth of statistical information on groups and activities within Kazakhstan. (MJP)

Addresses the issue of language use by German bilingual pupils in a German minority school in South Jutland (Denmark). Fieldwork indicates that pupils experience difficulty with respect to competence in acquisition of standard Danish. Suggests application of model based upon English "Language Awareness" program as potential solution for…

Cross-linguistic influence (CLI) is receiving increasing attention in multilingual learners (Cenoz "et al.", 2001). Research with bilingual learners has analysed CLI in relation to language dominance (see, for instance, Hulk & Muller, 2000; Yip & Stephen, 2000) and to language dominance and grade in school settings (Cenoz, 2003; Lasagabaster,…

This book presents an outline of the historical development of English in Africa. The book covers all the major aspects of English in separate chapters, but aims at demonstrating how closely these aspects are intertwined. The differences in the historical impact of the English language in different regions are reflected in present sociolinguistic…

This report discusses the role and status in China of the English language, the main foreign language in the country. The following topics are outlined: (1) The prevalence of English as a foreign language; (2) English within the educational system at preprimary through postsecondary levels, in preservice and inservice teacher training, in…

This monograph presents language factors related to bilingualism, to assist educators to distinguish normal phenomena due to bilingualism from symptoms of a handicapping condition. The first section, called "The Nature of Bilingualism," discusses the diversity of bilingual students and their dynamic use of two languages, focusing on simultaneous…

Seventy-one subjects (22 English monolinguals, 23 Spanish monolinguals, and one bilingual group comprised of 19 Spanish-dominant and 7 English-dominant bilinguals) were assessed by means of the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery and the Woodcock-Johnson Language Proficiency Battery at the beginning of kindergarten and first grade. These…

Numerous instruments used by school districts to assess language dominance are not designed to determine either language dominance or proficiency. Nor do they yield sufficient data for appropriate program placement. One example of such an instrument is the Del Rio Language Screening Test (DRLST), designed to screen children of three to seven years…

This study investigates whether Mexican Americans have a different cerebral specialization for native language than for second language as measured by visual shift. The possibility of a different cerebral arrangement for each language has implications for educators. The relation between cerebral arrangement and cognitive style entails…

In both diagnostic procedures and in program prescriptions, this book attempts to deal with the problem of the Hispanic child who speaks no Spanish and who, in fact, may be discouraged from learning Spanish by parents who mistakenly feel they are helping the child make a quicker transition to the dominant culture. The first three chapters present…

Regulations adopted in 1977 by the Alaska State Board of Education governing bilingual-bicultural education in Alaska are presented. The procedure for the initial identification of language dominance in students is set forth. Obligations of school districts toward their non-English-speaking students are detailed. Parental and community involvement…