Discusses and criticizes the monolingual view of bilingualism, which holds that the bilingual is two monolinguals in one person. Proposes, instead, a view which holds that a bilingual has a unique, specific linguistic configuration. Examines a number of areas in bilingual research that are affected by this different view. (SED)

Describes the efforts of a superintendent in Nova Scotia to bring about the amalgamation of two school systems where the majority of the population is French-speaking by offering complete instructional programs in both French and English. (JBM)

Several English and Spanish language tests currently used in bilingual education and some less known tests are reviewed, looking at both historic and psychometric factors. It is suggested that practitioners have commonly assumed that all language tests are basically valid, which contributed to the commercial success of some tests of questionable…

The history of language in South Africa is characterized by linguistic inequality, European domination and imperialist ideology, suppression and denigration of indigenous languages through non-recognition, and entangled interrelationships among education, race, language, and identity. Official policy enforced mono- or bilingualism through the use…

Ninety-eight children whose first language is Hawaii Creole English (HCE) acquired English without a formal language program while maintaining their first language. Learning the dominant variety of the language in a bicultural/bidialectal environment did not adversely affect performance in HCE. (PMJ)

Examines the often-cited crucial relationship between international education and the study of languages. Argues for a balanced approach to student identity, rather than privileging native identity over foreign identity. Presents a new version of language placement in the IB Diploma Hexagon, arguing for balance there as well. (Contains 22…

Used two methods to assess bilingual dominance in four groups of Italian-English bilinguals. Ratios were derived from bilinguals' self-rating of ability to speak and understand Italian compared to English. Dominance in Italian was associated with a relatively high level of performance in Italian (assessed in a translation task) and relatively poor…

Examines the patterns of oral reading miscues, retelling, and fluency of mixed dominant Hispanic students (students whose English or Spanish dominance cannot be clearly determined). Finds that mixed dominant students are not easily categorized into a homogenous group. Suggests that some of their strategies and skills may have been underutilized.…

Discusses the sociocultural context of education in the Comoro Islands, where effects of French colonization combine with Islamic influences. Examines education and cultural changes under French colonialism prior to independence in 1975. Since then, political changes resulted in establishment of French and South African hegemony. One table, 5…

Explores the extent of language transition and the resilience of immigrant languages based on data from south Florida. Results from 2,843 children of immigrants show that interest in and preference for English is very high and that preservation of the parental language decays with length of U.S. residence. Relationships of bilingualism and…

Examines structural consequences of intensive language contact on simultaneous first language (L1) and second language (L2) child language development in an L2-dominant environment. Based on the assumption that structural processes in language contact are operating at and determined by abstract lexical structure, various structural configurations…

Studies the ethnolinguistic vitality of a subset of the French language minority population of Ontario. Focuses on a large number of students, their parents, and their teachers from six elementary and secondary schools in Northeastern Ontario. Shows students' linguistic and cultural vitality is weakened by the dominant English-speaking social…

Two picture-word interference experiments investigated whether or not words from a first and more dominant language are activates during lexical access in a foreign and less dominant language. Native speakers of Dutch were instructed to name pictures in English. Revealed that the Dutch name of a picture is activated during initial stages of the…

This study examines the biliteracy development of a group of bilingual Latino third graders in an elementary school in the south-west USA. It focuses on the role of language in children's reading comprehension of narrative texts in Spanish and English in a school context. The authors frame their analysis within the "Continua of Biliteracy" model…

Informed by knowledge of linguistics, research findings in the areas of monolingual and bilingual acquisition, dyslexia and speech therapy clinical practice, five factors are proposed to argue that the acquisition of English by young non-native learners can be enhanced by learning activities which take into account factors of developmental…