This paper is an attempt to show what parameters come into play when dealing with the problem of difficulty in foreign language learning. After subjecting the hierarchy of difficulty set up by R.P. Stockwell and J.D. Bowen to a critical examination, the author discusses various parameters such as individual and national difficulties, the…

The English language arts program in Trinidad and Tobago is handicapped by several conditions. Overcrowding is a problem and reduces the chances for learning. The syllabus in use is outmoded and evidences little understanding of children's language problems. The primary school program is directed toward the Common Entrance Examination.…

At the root of many early childhood bilingual education programs is the widespread belief that the two languages must be used and taught in different contexts, since the failure to do so would inevitably produce a single mixed language. From a study of the results achieved over a ten-year period, it would seem that, if at least one of the…

This study describes the kindergarten to level 3 curriculum of a bilingual-bicultural education program at Nestor Elementary School in Imperial Beach, California, under E.S.E.A. Title VII. It discusses the specific program environment and classroom organization used to implement the curriculum. The curriculum is divided into four main strands:…

Children from the German minority in Denmark were studied as part of a longitudinal sociolinguistic research project. Most spoke the Jutland (a Danish) dialect and picked up German as a second language when they started preschool, resulting in code-switching and interference in some cases, which appear to be manifestations of linguistic creativity…

The parameter-setting model of universal grammar provides a basis for integrating two theories of second language acquisition: contrastive analysis and creative construction. The elicited responses of adult native speakers of Spanish and adult native speakers of Japanese were examined. The head-initial/head-final parameter was the principle…

Articles contained in this special issue on language usage in Hong Kong, particularly in the context of elementary and secondary education, include: "A Comparison of English Errors Made by Hong Kong Students and Those Made by Non-Native Learners of English Internationally" (David Bunton); "Errors in Guides to English Usage for Hong…

Fifteen articles review code-switching in the four major areas: policy implications in specific institutional and community settings; perspectives of social theory of code-switching as a form of speech behavior in particular social contexts; the grammatical analysis of code-switching, including factors that constrain switching even within a…

A discussion of factors that influence English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learning by native speakers of Chinese focuses on three specific factors (cognitive style, individual differences, and native language interference), and offers classroom solutions. The effect of each of the three factors on ESL comprehension and production is considered,…

This article explores the hypothesis that members of a minority group whose language is other than English are fossilizing their second language patterns in an effort to retain stronger ties with their native culture. An investigation is conducted in which eight undergraduate students of the University of Texas at San Antonio have served as…

A general model for second language learning is proposed in this paper. First, this model aims to describe different components (input, intake, integration, output) of the learning process in terms of the information (explicit/implicit, linguistic/sociolinguistic) to which the learner is exposed. Secondly, the model serves to identify the stages,…

This supplementary offering for English-as-a-second-language courses was prepared to help isolate and treat most of the "goofs" that students regularly make in speaking and writing English. Each error is presented in its grammatical context, and chapters are arranged on the basis of groups of errors that fall together structurally. Included are…

The conditions for the acquisition of communicative competence in standard English must be considered in the case of language learning by immigrants, indigenous minority language groups, and speakers of Black English. The crucial factor in language learning is the relationship between the minority group and the local society. Among immigrant…

This guide is designed to provide beginning foreign language students with a general guide to language learning success, and to accompany second language textbooks. An introductory section is addressed to both teachers and students. The first chapter proposes that language learners can take charge of their own language learning experience. Chapter…

In a study of developmental reading behaviors, errors of 75 Spanish-English bilingual students (grades 2-9) on the McLeod GAP Comprehension Test were categorized in an attempt to ascertain a pattern of language difficulties. Contrary to previous research, bilingual readers minimally used native language cues in reading second language materials.…