Cross-linguistic investigation of the importance of syntactic cues and cue processing cost in French and Spanish four through six-year-olds' sentence comprehension revealed that topological cues helped French subjects most, while local cues helped Spanish subjects most. (Author/CB)

A study examining native Spanish-speaking college students' comprehension of Portuguese, and Portuguese-speaking students' comprehension of Spanish found that the two languages were mutually intelligible at a 50 to 60 percent level. Portuguese speakers tended to understand Spanish better than Spanish speakers understood Portuguese. (CB)

A study developed a scale of tolerance of ambiguity related to second language learning. Analysis of second- and third-year college Spanish students' responses to the scale indicated that their tolerance of ambiguity, strength of motivation, attitude, and concern for grade influenced their use of various second language learning strategies. (39…

Examines instructional interaction in kindergarten, third, and fifth grade classrooms chosen for their academic success with Hispanic students. Looks at instructional discourse and language use. Confirms previous findings about the possibility of successful bilingual instruction. (DE)

Explains how functional language instruction can be made useful for persons with moderate to severe handicaps who are also culturally and linguistically different. Explains how vocabulary and cultural information of the Spanish-speaking student can be included in functional language instruction. (RS)

Describes Ohio University's course sequence designed to teach French and Spanish, through the use of print and broadcast media, to students majoring in journalism and other communication areas. Course development, funding, resources, speakers, and promotion are detailed. (CB)

Describes the issues that effect availability of free-reading materials in Spanish in elementary and middle school libraries. Conclusions are drawn regarding the effectiveness of the school library in providing language-minority children with access to reading materials in their primary language and whether the needs of language-minority children…

Analyzes the rhetorical functions carried out by the selection of voice--active, passive, or "se"-passive--in biological research articles in Spanish. The author compares these rhetorical functions with those found in French and English scientific papers and on the basis of this comparison, suggests the existence of some universals. (18…

The development of a new parent report instrument, Inventario del Desarollo de Habilidades Communicativas, is reported and 5 studies carried out with the instrument for 328 children aged 8 months to 2 years/7 months are presented. Among the findings are similar trajectories of development for Spanish- and English-speaking children and for children…

Examined effect of bilingual preschool education on the Spanish and English language development of Spanish-speaking children. Found that, compared to children who remained at home, children enrolled in preschool gained proficiency in English at a faster rate while maintaining a comparable level of Spanish proficiency. (HTH)

A sample of 133 Spanish children (ages 8 to 13) was classified by IQ and reading level and given a lexical processing task. The study found that IQ did not explain differences between learning-disabled (LD) or nondisabled (NLD) children in lexical processing. Lexical and sublexical parameters had a greater influence on LD students than NLD…

The objective of this activity is to help beginning students learn numbers and practice vocabulary and verbs in an interesting and meaningful way. In addition, the game is used to improve their listening comprehension and speaking ability. (Author/CK)

Currently the only Hispanic company that rotates productions daily, New York-based nonprofit Repertorio Espanol performs classical and contemporary Hispanic plays in Spanish with simultaneous English translation. To develop appreciation of Hispanic literature and culture in a new generation of theatergoers, the troupe performs discount matinees…

Of the 224 women who listened to Spanish-language radio spots on parenting, 154 completed pre- and postinterviews. Most appreciated the series and were significantly more likely to answer parenting questions correctly after listening. (SK)

Examined the effects of daily grammar reviews and correction feedback on student performance in a college-level Spanish culture and conversation course. Results found that although the plus-grammar group significantly outperformed the nongrammar group on grammar-focused instruments, both groups performed equally well on an essay. (47 references)…