One commonly used measure of lexical sophistication is the Advanced Guiraud (AG; [9]), whose formula requires frequency band counts (e.g., COCA; [13]). However, the accuracy of this measure is affected by the particular 2000-word frequency list selected as the basis for its calculations [27]. For example, possible issues arise when frequency lists…

Recent studies of American Indian dialects of English have focused on efforts to determine whether the sources of such dialectal variation lie in interference from the native languages or in developmental errors in the acquisition of English. The implication of both assumptions is that educational intervention and the passage of time can eradicate…

A study of the language use of 45 transitional Spanish-English bilinguals focused on subject pronoun usage patterns evolving when the bilingual has acquired both a prodrop (Spanish) and a non-prodrop (English) language and frequently switches between them. Subjects were of Mexican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican background, and had not attained the…

The issue discussed in this paper is how to test bilingual education teachers in order to be sure that they can teach bilingually in subject areas such as mathematics, science, or social studies. Four aspects of the question are discussed with reference to Spanish/English bilingual education, with the understanding that most questions raised are…

A review of ethnographic research investigated issues associated with regional or dialectal language use, particularly the use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in the special education classroom, and noted the implications for research and classroom practice. Research with speech/language pathologists is under way to develop a…

While the goal of language teaching has been the development of practical communication, most language tests have stressed mastery of discrete linguistic skills. Oral language performance-based testing requires test-takers to use and perform in the language in actual communicative situations. The variations in communication created by the…

The structure of English departments in Nigerian universities is outlined, the English curricula of seven institutions are examined, and problems associated with English instruction in Nigeria are discussed. Nigeria is in a crisis in English teaching, with a shortage of professional language teachers, phonologists, and phoneticians, inadequate…

Sociolinguistically oriented studies of the Chicano speech community cluster around two subject areas: (1) conversational code-switching, and (2) language loyalty and maintenance. Research representative of each of these areas is reviewed. It is felt that the large body of findings regarding the language use of the Chicanos have failed to take the…

A detailed analysis of an Italian-American woman's speech is presented, and her interlanguage patterns are discussed in relation to a pidginization hypothesis. Data are presented on the following speech characteristics of the woman: free speech negatives, interrogatives, and present and past tense constructions. Her language is shown to be…

This report summarizes the proceedings and outcomes of a working conference of experts, scholars, and educators in bilingual education held at Stanford University on February 12-13, 1976. The goal of the conference was to discuss and improve five tests constructed as part of an effort to improve teaching in bilingual (Spanish-English) education…

From a consideration of variability in language-learner and language-user data, the concept of proficiency is considered in relation to models of second and foreign language learning. Proficiency is defined in relation to four separate dimensions: grammatical well-formedness, speech-act rules, functional elaboration, and code diversity. This…

This paper describes the English language problems encountered by foreign students at New Mexico State University, students whose previous educational experiences have included extensive use of British English. Specifically dealt with are West African students having lived in a situation where "transplanted English" was introduced by…

This paper examines the problem of language development and language growth in the English-dominant Spanish-speaking student who intends to increase his total command of Spanish for the purpose of functioning in that language at a level equivalent to that of most educated Latin Americans. Observations are based on the experiences of…

After a critical examination of four assumptions of current procedures in language assessment, it is argued that the pragmatic domain of language ability should be the first to be assessed. A study designed to determine the usefulness of language variation (the number of different structures a child can produce or comprehend) as an alternative…

A study of language learning in Arctic Quebec examines relationships between early Inuktitut competence and later learning of English as a second language, general and local characteristics of native language competence, and early Inuktitut instruction and later competence. It also looks at the reliability of native educators' assessment of…