Describes a needs assessment process that was developed for the Soledad branch library, which is located in a rural, predominantly Spanish-speaking community. Questionnaires for users and nonusers are described, community residents' involvement is discussed, desirable library services are suggested, and needs in a bilingual community are…

Investigation of how 19 adult males listened to and recognized unknown foreign languages (Farsi, Punjabi, Spanish, Indonesian, Arabic, Urdu) indicated that the untrained listeners made complex judgments in describing, transcribing, and identifying phonetic, segmental, suprasegmental, and other impressionistic language details. (Author/CB)

Traces the history of women playwrights' contributions to the dramatic art in Spain from the 1940s to the 1980s. Discusses the progression from conformity to the establishment's expectations, to revision of form and content to better reflect the female perspective. Provides examples of plays that depict this progression. (JS)

Describes the University of Texas at El Paso's use of a Spanish placement system that seeks to appropriately place both native and non-native speakers of Spanish in the correct track and level of Spanish courses. (CB)

Analyzes the differences in usage of the Spanish preterite and imperfect by native speakers of Spanish and by nonnative speakers of Spanish whose first language is Dutch. Teaching strategies to enhance the learner's awareness of context and sequencing are suggested. (LMO)

Content-based instruction, a communicative approach to language teaching, is defined as a curriculum (1) that is based on subject matter, (2) uses authentic materials, (3) promotes the learning of new information, and (4) considers specific student needs. The Spanish and Russian content-area programs at the Foreign Service Institute are described…

Ways to combine small classes of higher education students studying Spanish at various levels are described, including judicious use of language laboratories, staggering of the different level groups, and rotation of activities geared toward students' individual proficiency levels. (CB)

Examines such universal linguistic phenomena as simplification, overgeneralization, transfer, analysis, and convergence, and their corresponding theories regarding creolization, language acquisition, and language loss. A study of the Spanish verb system of Los Angeles bilinguals indicates that the continuous influx of new Spanish-speaking…

Reports the results of an analysis of conversations among bilingual adults designed to determine the nature of code switching. Categories for the analysis are proposed, syntactic constraints on code switching are discussed, and code switching as a conversational strategy is considered. (24 references) (CFM)

An overview of contemporary Hispanic dialectology, focusing on phonological phenomena, syntax, classification schemes, and bilingual communities, demonstrates that dialectology has long ceased to be the collection of innumerable surface deviations. It is suggested that dialectology is a theoretical discipline searching for universal principles to…

The hispanicization of Mayan immigrants in Los Angeles is explored, focusing on the patterns of usage of Mayan, Spanish, and English among men, women, and children, and the trend toward Spanish-English bilingualism. (Author/MSE)

Development of a methodology for translating a certification examination to another language for a small number of examinees is described. The Spanish translation developed for the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners was pilot tested with four candidates. Linguistic and psychometric procedures of the translation are discussed.…

Replication of research on the relationship between universal grammar (UG) and second language learning studied Arabic-speaking learners of English. The present study's findings contradicted the previously supported theory regarding the importance of universal grammar to second language learning. (38 references) (CB)

This paper describes diagnostic methods, treatment approaches, cultural factors, service delivery systems, and governmental roles important in the consideration of the status of mentally retarded people with mental health problems in four Spanish-speaking populations: Chile, Mexico, Spain, and Hispanic groups in the U.S. (JDD)

This report discusses an experimental study in which Spanish dominant students were taught to use metacognitive reading strategies while reading in Spanish. Results of the study lend credibility to the notion that bilingual/bicultural children should be challenged to develop and employ more powerful levels of thought processing within the context…