Throughout the past century, the effects of bilingualism on general cognition have been extensively explored. Studies evolved from a negative to a more positive perspective, but longitudinal assessments of effects of bilingualism are scarce. This study investigated the long-term effect of becoming a bilingual on the development of general…

We present the case study of MB--a bilingual child with Down syndrome (DS) who speaks Russian (first language [L1]) and English (second language [L2]) and has learned to read in two different alphabets with different symbol systems. We demonstrate that, in terms of oral language, MB is as proficient in Russian as English, with a mild advantage for…

In this article, I describe studies conducted over 25 years with secondary and post-secondary L2 learners in the United States. The evidence from these studies shows that there are important connections between students' early L1 skills and their L2 aptitude and L2 proficiency and that individual differences in students' L1 skills in elementary…

Reports the results of a study examining the effect of one year's attendance in a French language immersion program on the intelligence and self-esteem of six year olds. (AM)

The 14 conference papers and discussion transcripts in this volume were arranged to suggest both an outline of the state of the art of foreign language testing and a practical guide for test writers and users. The first two papers (T.R. Hopkins, Language Testing of North American Indians; and E.J. Briere, Testing ESL Among Navajo Children) deal…