Failures are better documented than successes in bilingual education programs. A theory is needed powerful enough to predict success while accounting for reported failures. Most important is the effect of bilingualism on cognitive development. Use of the first language should complement the second, particularly in problem solving and question…

Looks at different ways linguistic ownership can be manifested and focuses on the Eurasian community in Singapore, suggesting that English should be given mother tongue status for that community. Examines government support for such a call. Argues that in the case of Singapore, linguistic ownership is part of an overall government strategy for…

Discusses the achievement gap of Mexican Americans and other groups in the United States as essentially a question of economics and, suggests that the solution lies in greater access to the wider society. (48 references) (JL)

Using Yaounde, Cameroon as an example, this study analyzes the enduring stumbling blocks lying in the path of linguistic policies and in the setting of social, educational, and political agendas acceptable to all in changing multilingual, multicultural societies. Cameroon is an officially bilingual country carved out of an aggregate of independent…

Addresses two issues within a general theory of cross-cultural adaption. One concerns the extent to which cross-cultural adaption is activated by the ability to make meaning in Japanese as a foreign language; the second investigated the phenomenon of identity slippage. Six life histories of informants who had learned Japanese after age 11 are used…

This study presents new data on the degree of "foreign" accent among immigrant learners of English in the USA (total N = 50) as it correlates to learner orientation to the target language and target language culture. Correlation analyses confirm the significance of age of onset and length of immersion, as well as learner attitudes, including: (a)…

Discusses the history of the decline of the use of Irish in Ireland since the 12th century and how present government policies and citizen attitudes have affected this decline. Government actions include establishing a Gaelic Board, setting nominal Irish qualifications for civil servants, and teaching Irish in the primary schools. (SED)

Presents a theory that all developing and developed bilinguals have a preferred and a second language (L2) and that the bilingual increases L2 competence through fluctuating activity between bilingual preferred L2 medium-oriented communication and monolingual L2 message-oriented communication. Discusses implications of the theory for language…

Refutes earlier ideas that encouraging bilingualism at a young age retards learning and causes behavioral problems, confusion and anxiety. Considers as sources of learning problems, long overlooked factors such as socioeconomic status, minority affiliation, and society's attitude toward the language of instruction or the dominant language.…

Discusses research related to bilingual education as a means of providing background information for policy makers, and then discusses a number of bilingual education models. Suggests separate models of language-in-education policies for the Melanesian, Micronesian/Polynesian parts of the South Pacific and for Fiji. (Author/VWL)

This paper deals with the acquisition of a third language (English) and its relationship to psychosocial and socioeducational variables in a bilingual educational context, the Basque country. Subjects were 321 secondary school students from 2 linguistic programs: models A (Spanish, vehicular language) and D (Basque, vehicular language). Subjects…

Teachers' attitudes toward a second or foreign language may filter down to students and may aid or hinder student's acquisition of that language. Therefore, prospective teachers of English in Swaziland were studied to determine their attitudes toward English. The teachers evidenced positive attitudes toward English and English teaching…

Analyzes the theoretical and experimental support for Carl Dodson's "Bilingual Method" for second-language learning. The three major tenants--the goal of balanced bilingualism, differentiation between L1 and L2, and systematic provision for fluctuation between medium- and message-oriented communication--are reviewed and the findings of allied…

Focuses on language choice in Eritrea within the broader context of language policy in multilingual states. Pre-colonial and post-colonial language policies are surveyed in relation to evolving linguistic and political nationalism. Post-independence language policy is examined from the perspective of the functional allocation of nine Eritrean…

Although it is commonly believed that language and culture are inexorably linked, the precise nature of this relationship remains elusive. This study investigated the hypothesis that a loss in language signals a loss in culture if language is considered a central value. This hypothesis was investigated by rating the Hindi and English proficiency…