In this article, the author talks about the decline of fluent Alaskan Haida speakers. She features her mother's story as an example of why the Haida language is "on the brink." English language fluency as a tool for Indigenous survival is common to Native peoples, as is the desire to see languages flourish again. Alaskan Haidas…

This report describes a research study designed to adopt a predominantly quantitative approach to investigating three related aspects of oral fluency: fluency improvement, correlation between subjective judgments and objective counts, and variation of fluency in different speech interactions. Subjects were 15 English as a foreign language (EFL)…

This is one of few professional books that addresses the subject of stuttering in young children. This is surprising considering that most cases of stuttering begin in the preschool years and that the prevalence of the disorder in very young children is higher than in any other age group. This excellent and informative text is written for…

Results of a survey of 200 parents attending baby and child clinics in North Wales show that parents know less about language development than about other areas of child development. Results suggest that both monolingual and bilingual parents and their children would benefit from improved information on how to facilitate language development. (43…

Speech material gathered from Dutch-English bilinguals in Australia questioned in 1971 and 1987 was analyzed, showing no evidence of attrition in Dutch. It is concluded that first-language attrition does not necessarily occur in an immigrant setting and that immigrants who maintain their language in the first years of their stay will likely remain…

Summarizes the experiences of workers from non-English-speaking backgrounds (NESB) in accessing safety information. The article examines the issue through the workers' eyes and focuses on the potential relationships between language and literacy and workplace health and safety and a concern for the reasons why some NESB workers are losers in…

Infants prefer to listen to happy speech. To assess influences of speech affect on early lexical processing, 7.5- and 10.5-month-old infants were familiarized with one word spoken with happy affect and another with neutral affect and then tested on recognition of these words in fluent passages. Infants heard all passages either with happy affect…

The decision of whether to use French or English in Montreal, Canada, is not always predetermined but must be negotiated by the interactants in conversation in ways that can be serious or humorous and have great potential for misunderstanding. The complex relationship between language choice and ethnicity is one factor involved in the decision…

Presents evidence that content-based instruction at the intermediate level of English language proficiency not only enhances performance at that level but may also help to facilitate English-as-a-Second-Language students' subsequent performance in the college academic mainstream and increase their likelihood of earning a college degree. (27…

Illustrates the problems inherent in an extreme focus on form and accuracy or meaning and fluency in English-as-a-Second-Language classes. Notes that current language teaching theory views a dual, simultaneous focus as desirable and proceeds to analyze the features of an authentic example of dual focus. (20 references) (Author/CK)

Focuses on the merit of extensive reading in English as a tool for advancing the reading comprehension of non-English-speaking students. The article emphasizes that students who read more will eventually surpass their classmates who have not developed the reading habit. (four references) (Author/CK)

Discusses the academic emphasis on students acquiring fluency in a second language to foster their advancement in the business world of international commerce. Notes that human resource experts in U.S.-based international corporations often give a low priority to linguistic fluency and emphasize the need for cultural expertise. (Seven references)…

Describes an approach to the study of writing processes based on the analysis of temporal aspects of the writing event. The approach involves recording the keystroke presses made during production of a text using a word processor, and analyzing such features as pausing, fluency, and revision activity. (Author/VWL)

This article describes how recent trends in improving literacy outcomes in the early years of schooling have provided the opportunity for Camberwell Primary School to identify the "best practice" that promotes high levels of achievement in English literacy and transfer this learning and knowledge to the French literacy program. The linguistic…

Describes three types of computer-assisted language learning programs which have been developed in English and Russian, addressing: (1) complex, cyclical, and generative programs; (2) preparatory to communication programs; and (3) stimulating communication programs. (Author/CB)