A proposal to transform Spanish into a universal language because it possesses the prerequisites: it is a living language, spoken in several countries; it is a natural language; and it uses the ordinary alphabet. Details on simplification and standardization are given. (Text is in Spanish.) (AMH)

A warning about the alarming situation in which written Spanish finds itself, not only in the daily press but even in more literary publications. More and more popular expressions and corruptions are finding their way into the written language. Attention to this situation is recommended. (Text is in Spanish.) (AMH)

Enormous numbers of Spanish words are used by speakers of Tlaxcalan Nahuatl, an indigenous language of Mexico. The major function of the language is to support the speakers' self-identification. As speakers feel it more beneficial to improve their Spanish, relexification is contributing to the death of the language. (AMH)

Despite a survey carried out on the teaching of Spanish language in British and Irish universities that showed one-third of the respondents considered the teaching of Spanish intonation unimportant, examples are presented to show that it is necessary in Spanish language instruction. (HP)

This study found that the three variables, suggestion, synchronized music and breathing, had a large positive effect on the learning and retention of 50 Spanish words. Available from: Society for Suggestive-Accelerative Learning and Teaching, 2740 Richmond Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50319. (CFM)

Reports on an empirical investigation of behaviors exhibited by early elementary school children while viewing two programs of a children's bilingual multicultural educational television series. The effects of the program on group membership, grade level and sex during viewing were examined. (Author/DEP)

Concludes that the disruptive experience of political and military conquest was a crucial fact that influenced the Chicano's family history. As Chicanos became a submerged ethnic minority, when previously they had been a dominant culture, traditional values supporting the extended family tended to disappear. (Author/AM)

The attitude that the American school is monocultural and monolingual is the single most destructive force at work against equal educational opportunity for the Mexican American or Chicano. Describes a program designed to change that attitude. (Author/RK)

This article presents the results of a questionnaire sent to Spanish teachers regarding possible orthographic reforms in Spanish. Changes considered included elimination of certain letters and representation of each phoneme by only one letter. Responses to each question are classified and explained. (Text is in Spanish.) (CHK)

This study examined several hypotheses about second language learning by testing them in a training format designed to teach Spanish to children in the fifth through eighth grades and to adults in night school. (JMB)

Outlines the findings from a series of interviews examining Mexican attitudes toward learning and teaching English conducted in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1986. Includes five tables. (MD)

Teachers can further Spanish language students' appreciation of the language's variety and richness through consideration of the use of puns in contemporary Spanish advertising. The puns are useful in introducing and reinforcing grammatical points and for providing culturally relevant and interesting material to students. (CB)

Content bias of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) was investigated with dominant English- and dominant Spanish-speaking Mexican American preschoolers. The identified item bias (mostly against the Spanish language group) is discussed in terms of information overload on memory as influenced by language differences in word length and…

Examination of the speech of 33 monolingual Spanish-speaking children found that syllable type affected the correct pronunciation of novel words. The different syllable types comprising the novel words could be hierarchized. Performance on syllable type appeared to be an interaction between the structure of the syllable and phonological processes…

Describes a college course on the written literature in Spanish of the Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans of the United States, including the rationale, resources, and course structure. Such a course helps to shatter misconceptions regarding Hispanics and further expands the intellectual horizons of students. A bibliography of Hispanic literature…