Discusses the relationship between the brain, language, and communication in the following sections: (1) combining words, (2) language as a system, (3) language as a function of the brain, (4) the science of communication, and (5) language as a social institution. (NCR)

A major concern to anyone involved in the alcoholism field is the basic understanding of alcoholism as a disease that Hispanics have not yet completely accepted. Hispanics have usually labeled the use of alcoholic beverages as being embedded into Hispanic culture and have viewed alcoholism as an individual weakness to be endured in silence. (NQ)

The Court Interpreters Act of 1978, signed by President Carter on October 29, 1978, establishes the right of any individual involved in federal proceedings to have a certified court interpreter if his/her communication or comprehension capabilities are inhibited because of a language barrier or a hearing or speech impairment. (NQ)

In spite of the increasing attack from columnists, some legislators, and other assorted real or imagined policymakers, the Hispanic community is realizing that bilingual bicultural education represents a viable pedagogical strategy to deal with their astonishingly low educational attainment. (NQ)

Presents an overview of bilingual education in the United States, with particular reference to the Spanish-speaking. (AM)

The Youth Employment Demonstration Projects Act created four new programs designed to employ and increase the employability of youth: the Young Adult Conservation Corps, the Youth Incentive Entitlement Pilot Projects, Youth Community Conservation and Improvement Projects, and Youth Employment and Training Programs. (NQ)

The address systems in Raymond Barrio's "The Plum Plum Pickers" imply sociolinguistic differences between the Chicano and the Anglo characters. The kinds of sociolinguistic situations, the number of dyadic patterns, and the quantity of the dyadic patterns strongly suggest the differences. (Author)

The Kahn Intelligence Test, Experimental Form and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children were administered to three groups of Spanish surname children of varying language dominance to determine if the Kahn test is freer of cultural bias. Results suggest that the tests are not different in their cultural bias. (Author/JKS)

Provides a descriptive list of two dozen Spanish language books for children and young adults on subjects ranging from science and mathematics to history and literature. All the books come from publishers in Spain, and many of the books can be used with students learning Spanish as a second language as well as with native Spanish speakers. (GR)

Three experiments examined effects of language on developing knowledge of distinction between real and apparent properties. Found that when Spanish verbs for "to be" -- "Ser" and "Estar" -- were substituted for "is,""Ser" gave the Spanish-speaking and bilingual speakers a unique advantage in…

Addresses the topic of discourse markers and, using the concepts of denial and contrast, with modifications, examines markers of contrast in English and Spanish. The article shows that the markers in each language correspond very closely in what they signal about the interpretation of the utterances of which they are a part. (Nine references)…

The Self Directed Search-Easy and a version back translated from Spanish to English were completed by 145 undergraduates. Back-translation scale scores were a significantly better fit for Holland's model. The model fit the scores of men better than women. (SK)

Examines the role of intrapersonal communication in connection with second language learning through internalization. In internalization, learners imitate the linguistic affordances made available by the classroom community. Presents an analysis of a case study of an adult learner of Spanish and discusses its implications for learning. (AS)

Data from three children learning Spanish are explored for the development of linguistic person in an inflectional language. Contrastive use of person, tense, and number and the presence of overt subjects and overt objects are examined. (Author/VWL)

Reports on a study of the early lexical acquisition of two children who acquired Spanish and English simultaneously. Data provide strong counter evidence to Faingold's (1996) proposal that children acquiring languages not closely related tend to favor a reduction strategy, whereas those acquiring closely related languages favor a maintenance…