This book presents an account of the rise of English as a global language and explores the history, current status, and future potential of English as the international language of communication. Five chapters focus on the following: (1) "Why a Global Language?" (e.g., what a global language is, what makes a language global, and why a…

This digest provides general information on the characteristics of English language learners (ELLs) in U.S. preschool and primary school programs and describes learning conditions and instructional practices that are most effective for educating young ELLs. The digest suggests that as young ELLs enroll in preschool and primary school programs in…

This paper examines the political status of Romani. the language of the Gypsies/Roma, in the European Union (EU). Even though some groups do not call themselves "Roma," all Romani speaking groups use the name "Romanes" for their language and "Romani/Romano/Romane" for everything related to their group. All groups use…

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) brought to the Canadian education system the right to instruction in the minority language. However, it is the province that must establish the appropriate school structures for exercise of that right. The study reported here outlines the current situation in the Canadian provinces and territories…

Describes the second total immersion weekend for students of German sponsored by the New Jersey chapter of the AATG. (EKN)

Discusses the use of PLATO in South Africa as a means of instructing non-English speakers in English so that they will be able to enroll in university courses. PLATO was not particularly effective since its materials were written for native English speakers. (EKN)

Bilingual education programs in Nigeria, the Sudan, and the Phillippines are described. Although some approaches differed, educational planners in all three countries felt that they could best introduce children to formal education by using the language which they bring to the classroom for initial instruction. (FG)

Research Studies reveal that the development of native language proficiency and full bilingualism enhances rather than impedes the education and personal development of minority children. Teachers of language and all subjects should cooperate in promoting native language proficiency and encouraging its use at home. (PMJ)

The author summarizes some of the spoken language policies of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China of Taiwan, including some statistics on dialect speakers in the population, methods for promoting Mandarin in the schools, and attitudes toward the maintenance of minority languages. (SJL)

In multilingual India each state has the responsibility for providing education and determining the language(s) of instruction. This report describes some of the regional options provided for language(s) of instruction at various grade levels. The use frequency of major languages for university instruction is tabulated from a 1965 report. (SJL)

This article emphasizes the value of immersion programs and describes some immersion programs in the United States and Canada. (CFM)

Discusses the teaching of French at the secondary level in Tanzania, in terms of the role of French, the methods and materials used, and evaluation. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

Some data dispute the common assumption of linguists that speakers of nonstandard varieties of English lack functional command of Standard English. Hawaiian high school students were found equally competent in Standard and Hawaiian English. Implications of this finding for educational practices in Hawaii are discussed. (CHK)

Hotel management students in Hong Kong (n=65) reported that foundation courses were essential to their careers, but 61% had problems understanding the curriculum. Causes were cultural differences in food styles and/or the fact that most Cantonese-speaking students were learning in their second language (English) and most of the multicultural…

A study examined the effects of a new Hong Kong policy requiring Chinese as the language of instruction on secondary students' learning of science. Science achievement test scores at 100 secondary schools indicate that previous use of English to teach science may have hampered students' ability to grasp material due to the high-level thinking…