Study of the second language retention of students who completed a seven-year elementary Spanish immersion program found that some language loss occurred soon after program termination, with greatest loss in productive skills. Findings suggested that attitudinal predisposition influenced the extent to which students retained their Spanish skills.…

Investigates monolingual Spanish-speaking children's acquisition of Spanish orthographic structure. Results indicate that the students' decoding skills and their later reading achievement are not significantly related. (Author/CB)

Discusses the subtle changes of meaning evoked by different sentence positions of "hace"-clauses. Analyzes the semantics of "hace" + TIME sentences which are the equivalent of English "ago." A presentation suitable for the beginning learner, using "since" + TIME as the English translation of the "hace"-clause followed by "que" is suggested.…

It was found that native English speakers and native Spanish speakers who listened to tapes of Puerto Rican learners of English of various levels of proficiency differed principally in how they rated the linguistic form of the speakers and in the annoyance reported. Pronunciation and hesitations were reported by both groups as the most distracting…

The article presents normative data for the Spanish version of the "Test for Auditory Comprehension of Language" using data based on the speech of 60 Mexican children in three age groups from two to nine years. Half the children were low socioeconomic monolingual, and half were high socioeconomic bilingual. (Author/DB)

Reports on attempts to determine whether Cuban Abakua is a pidginized Afro-Spanish, creole, or dead language and concludes that some of this language, spoken by a secret society, has its roots in Efik, a language of the Benue-Congo, and seems to be a simple, ritualistic, structureless argot. (CB)

Examines the process of question development in a second language. Shows that with greater English proficiency (1) there was less reliance on syntactically simple construction, (2) questions about personal information and actions and intentions questions increased, (3) requests for factual information and classification questions decreased. (SRT)

A mental multiplication test, containing items written in Dutch, Spanish, and Roman numerals was administered to 286 Dutch students. Further instruction was given in either Spanish or Roman, and a subtest combining languages was given. The iterative logit method was found to be useful in detecting biased test items. (GDC)

Stress response among 150 physically injured Spanish-speaking/surnamed workers in the Los Angeles area was assessed through one-and-one-half-hour individual psychiatric evaluations. Most were first-generation Mexican American males with little formal education, an agrarian background, and in unskilled jobs prior to their injuries. Psychiatric…

Describes a survey done to measure the extent to which courses in foreign languages for special purposes (FLSP) are part of the curriculum in higher education. Sixty-two percent of the responding colleges and universities offer FLSP courses. Survey results indicate growth potential of this relatively new field.

Kinesics, a form of nonverbal communication, is defined and described; the manner in which visual signals are expressed verbally in contemporary Spanish literature is characterized and exemplified; similarities and differences in exemplary gestures are examined across cultures; and the pedagogical implications are discussed. (MSE)

Suggests ways in which career education can be incorporated into Spanish language courses. These include: (1) instilling proper attitudes towards work; (2) improving speaking, reading, and writing skills; (3) infusing career vocabulary; (4) using career texts; (5) keeping a bulletin board; (5) organizing a Career Day; and (6) arranging for…

Results indicate that (1) Puerto Rican college students are much less apprehensive about communication in their native language than are U.S. students; and (2) apprehension in a first language is a much better predictor of apprehension in a second language than is self-perceived competence in that second language. (PD)

Spanish speaking first graders were administered the Artes de Lenguage (ADL)--a Spanish, criterion-referenced, language arts test. Reliability analyses indicated the adequacy of three of the four subscales (Phonetic Analysis, Vocabulary Development, Comprehension Skills, and General Skills). A principal factors analysis of the intercorrelation…

Discusses ways to teach critical reading skills and writing production to adult learners of Spanish who already have a basic command of the essential grammatical structures, some aural comprehension and reading ability, and adequate capacity to communicate orally. Describes and provides examples of several sample exercises. (SED)