This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Lyn Fogle, Aida Walqui, Lourdes Torres, Diane Pesco, Diane Dagenais, Teresa L. McCarty, Vivian de Klerk, Kelleen Toohey, Kendall King, and Barbara Trudell.
(2006). Cultural Competence and Identity in Cross-Cultural Adaptation: The Role of a Vietnamese Heritage Language School, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. The present study examines the role of a Vietnamese heritage language school in cross-cultural adaptation, as operationalised by the confluence of two independent variables, language competence and integrated cultural identity. To characterise the students' language competencies and degree of integrated cultural identities, interview questionnaires of virtually a complete census of students in the school were analysed via descriptive statistics. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted to determine relations between each independent variable and demographic factors (such as age at arrival in the USA and family milieu) and to determine relations between each independent variable and school factors (such as pattern of attendance and class participation). The findings suggest the heritage school experience was related to components of Vietnamese language competency but had little impact on integrated cultural identity. Age at arrival in the USA and family milieu played a more significant role in the cross-cultural adaptation process. [More] Descriptors: Vietnamese, Predictor Variables, Language Dominance, Questionnaires
(2006). Supporting Talk? Partnership Teachers in Classroom Interaction, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. The literature on classroom discourse has too long constructed the classroom as a place of one teacher and many pupils. This paper challenges this view by investigating classroom discourse in two-teacher classrooms. Specifically, it presents a case study of an English as an additional language teacher and geography teacher working together in the geography classroom from a year-long ethnography. It draws on interview data and classroom transcripts to look at how the two teachers construct their roles and looks at how the two teachers' discourses differ in their interaction and negotiation with two individual bilingual students. The ethnographically informed discourse analysis shows the importance of balancing different kinds of pedagogic discourses within the classroom. Although discourses of facilitation and accessing are often viewed as secondary to the discourses of transmission, this paper shows the skills involved in teacher questioning and response in learning interactions. [More] Descriptors: Interaction, Discourse Analysis, Language Teachers, Ethnography
(2006). Negative Borrowing in an Indigenous-Language Shift to the Dominant National Language, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Receding languages in contact with an expanding language are susceptible to various forms of transfer, including covert transfer or negative borrowing, the elimination of features not shared by the expanding language. Retention of two Scottish Gaelic grammatical features with English parallels and of two grammatical features without English parallel is compared in the Gaelic of bilingual speakers across a 55-year age-and-proficiency continuum. Both kinds of features show change in progress, but only very modest support for negative borrowing emerges, chiefly among speakers who were less than fully fluent in Gaelic by reason of incomplete acquisition or long disuse. The roles of simplification and gender-related speech style in producing these results are considered. The former appears to play a very limited role, while the latter may play a larger role in the unexpectedly strong retention of one unmatched structure among young and imperfect female speakers. Insofar as structural congruity increases the likelihood of negative borrowing, the quite different structures of Gaelic and English may contribute to its weak presence in this case. Long-term language contact before the period of obsolescence may be more productive of negative-borrowing effects than late-stage obsolescence itself. [More] Descriptors: Bilingualism, Official Languages, Linguistic Borrowing, Grammar
(2006). Difficulties Encountered by Bilingual Arab Learners in Translating Arabic "fa" into English, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This study investigates the problems that translators and Arab learners of English encounter in translating Arabic sentences containing the Arabic discourse marker "fa" into English. Several types of texts were surveyed in order to identify the salient functions that this marker has in Arabic discourse. Five major functions were identified: Explanatory, Consequential, Causal, Sequential and Adversative. A translation task was designed to find out how this marker translates into English. The subjects were 50 English-major Arab students studying at the University of Sharjah. The difficulties that Arab learners encounter in translating Arabic "fa" into English were identified and rank ordered in terms of difficulty. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Students, Semitic Languages, Sentences, Translation
(2006). A Multilingual Child's Literacy Practices and Contrasting Identities in the Figured Worlds of French Immersion Classrooms, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. In this paper, we explore the intersection of practice, identity, resources and literacy central to the New Literacy Studies and recent second language research informed by sociocultural theories of learning and language. Drawing on the construct figured worlds of literacy that describe how representations of literacy practices invoked in relation to certain people frame their social position and the construction of their identities, we discuss literacy practices and teacher discourse documented in our classroom research. We present data excerpts that illustrate how a multilingual child is variously constructed as "literate child" in the figured worlds of elementary school French Immersion classrooms. In particular, we consider how her literacy practices are shaped and her identities mediated in different ways socially, materially and linguistically. We argue that the mediation of her identities in classroom literacy activities is tied to teacher expectations of her future educational progress. Finally, we suggest that partnerships between researchers, educational practitioners and policy makers aimed at documenting classroom literacy practices may highlight how interpretations of multilingual children's identities can serve to fix or change their social relations and educational paths. [More] Descriptors: Multilingualism, Children, Literacy, French
(2006). Codeswitching, Borrowing and Mixing in a Corpus of Xhosa English, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. The paper analyses selected aspects of the codeswitching behaviour in a spoken corpus of the English of 326 people, all of them mother-tongue speakers of Xhosa (a local African language in South Africa), and all of whom would see themselves as Xhosa/English bilinguals. The corpus comprises approximately 550,000 transcribed words of spontaneous, relaxed, oral discourse in English between pairs of Xhosa-speaking interlocutors, discussing a wide range of topics. While the usual pattern in bilingual speech is to use the L1 as matrix language and the L2 as embedded language, in this corpus the opposite is the case, as interlocutors were interviewed in English (the L2). The corpus therefore offers a "mirror image," in a sense, of normal code switching behavior. Using Wordsmith (a concordancer programme), all incidences of codeswitching into Xhosa during these conversations were identified and analysed in an effort to reveal underlying patterns. Examination of the amount and nature of codeswitching in the corpus promised to throw some light on the extent to which participants are genuinely bilingual, in terms of their ability to converse comfortably in English. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Bilingualism, Code Switching (Language), African Languages
(2006). Kechwa and Spanish Bilingual Grammars: Testing Hypotheses on Functional Interference and Convergence, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This paper presents an exploratory study on cross-linguistic interference among indigenous Kechwa-Spanish bilingual children (n=30) living in a language contact situation. Its preliminary findings show evidence of cross-linguistic interference between Kechwa desiderative progressive forms such as miku-naya-yka-n (eat-desprog-3) "S/he wants to/is about to eat" and bilingual Spanish modal progressive structures such as esta queriendo comer "wants to/is about to eat". The latter convey a desiderative/imminent aspectual meaning absent in the narratives of a comparison group of Spanish-dominant children (n=25). The paper focuses on showing how interference and convergence in functional features such as modal and aspect features are possible despite striking differences in the morphology of two languages spoken by a bilingual individual. It is argued that, as predicted by the Functional Interference Hypothesis and the Functional Convergence Hypothesis, functional features are the locus of language change, and that activation of functional features from language A in language B, under specific discourse conditions, may lead to convergence in some bilingual individuals. These preliminary findings underscore the need to study the relationship between knowledge of syntax and knowledge of discourse conditions in bilinguals as well as the ability displayed by some bilingual individuals to dissociate syntax from morphology. [More] Descriptors: Spanish, Bilingualism, Interference (Language), Hypothesis Testing
(2006). Native American Youth Discourses on Language Shift and Retention: Ideological Cross-Currents and Their Implications for Language Planning, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This paper examines preliminary findings from an ongoing federally funded study of Native language shift and retention in the US Southwest, focusing on in-depth ethnographic interviews with Navajo youth. We begin with an overview of Native American linguistic ecologies, noting the dynamic, variegated and complex nature of language proficiencies and practices across a continuum of sociocultural settings. We then examine two pairs of youth discourses that illuminate social-psychological and macro-structural influences on language practices. These discourses juxtapose language identity with language endangerment, and language pride with language shame. As such, they expose the ways in which language allegiance is tied to the distribution of power and privilege in the larger society. Youth discourses, we argue, represent a powerful call to action for communities and schools serving Native American students. We conclude with the implications for future research and for language education planning in Indigenous and other endangered-language communities. [More] Descriptors: Youth, Language Planning, Ethnography, Interviews
(2006). Bilingual Discourse Markers in Indigenous Languages, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This review of research considers the occurrence and function of Spanish discourse markers and other particles in indigenous speech. I discuss important research that has examined these phenomena and refer to studies of bilingual discourse markers in other non-indigenous language contact situations to address unresolved issues concerning the form and function of these particles in indigenous languages. Based on an analysis of this work, I conclude that the status of such markers in indigenous languages depends on the relationship between language dominance and the frequency and type of borrowing. I also assess that only time will determine whether or not the use of borrowed elements implies an eventual replacement of native language discourse markers or a coexistence of two systems. [More] Descriptors: Bilingualism, Discourse Analysis, Spanish, Language Dominance
(2006). Genre-Pragmatic Strategies in English Letter-of-Application Writing of Jordanian Arabic–English Bilinguals, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This study reports an investigation of the genre components and pragmatic strategies of letters of applications written by Jordanian Arabic–English bilinguals. Specifically it is set up to trace how far novice non-native speakers of English are able to utilise the generic components and politeness strategies of the target language that strongly correlate with communicative success in social interactions. A corpus of 90 job application letters written by 90 job applicants was collected and analysed within the move structure analysis proposed by Bhatia (1993) and the framework of Brown and Levinson's (1987) model of politeness. The results indicate that politeness strategies are inappropriately utilised and the genre components are poorly managed in the letters of applications. The letters reflect particular strategic moves that are not usually utilised by English native speakers. The bilingual writers tend to avoid negative politeness but make frequent inappropriate use of positive politeness strategies due to their ignorance of the social cultural constraints governing their selection. This suggests a difference based on areas of cultural transfer rather than on a language effect. We hope the results of this study will be of help to foreign language instructors in increasing their students' consciousness of cross-cultural preferences, the essential genre specific meaning components and appropriate pragmatic strategies in order to write in a manner that is acceptable to native speakers of the target language. [More] Descriptors: Language Styles, Pragmatics, English (Second Language), Interpersonal Relationship
(2006). Language Development and Social Uses of Literacy: A Study of Literacy Practices in Cameroonian Minority Language Communities, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. In Northwest Cameroon, the emergence of literacy in the mother tongue is providing minority language communities with new alternatives for learning and communication. To some extent, these alternatives are shaped by existing literacy practices in English, as English is the language of formal education. However, new spaces are also emerging in society for the use of literacy in the mother tongue. This paper examines the impact of mother-tongue literacy on attitudes towards, and uses of, written text in the Bafut, Kom and Nso' language communities of Northwest Cameroon. The paper is based on qualitative case study research conducted in these communities in 2002-2003. The paper concludes with a discussion of the future of mother-tongue literacy in the Bafut, Kom and Nso' language communities. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Language Acquisition, Literacy, Language Minorities
(2006). Bilingual Parenting as Good Parenting: Parents' Perspectives on Family Language Policy for Additive Bilingualism, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. This paper investigates how parents explain, frame and defend their particular family language policies. We focus here on 24 families who are attempting to achieve additive Spanish-English bilingualism for their children, an aim which in many cases requires parents to use and to teach a language that is not their first language, nor the primary language of the home or wider community. We explore how parents make these decisions; how parents position themselves relative to "expert" advice and other members of their extended families; and how these decisions are linked to their identities as "good" parents. Our data suggest that parents draw selectively from expert advice and popular literature, using it to bolster their decisions in some cases while rejecting it in others. Extended families, in contrast, generally were raised in the interview discourse as points of (negative) contrast. Overall, we find that parents primarily relied on their own personal experiences with language learning in making decisions for their children. Our data further suggest that family language policies for the promotion of additive bilingualism have become incorporated into mainstream parenting practices, but also that these parents' efforts could be better supported. [More] Descriptors: Bilingualism, Child Rearing, Parent Attitudes, Family (Sociological Unit)
(2006). Scaffolding Instruction for English Language Learners: A Conceptual Framework, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Adolescent students learning academic subject matter in a new language face a number of challenges, both local and global in nature, as they negotiate the linguistic, academic and social world of schooling. Making a case for a pedagogy of rigour and hope, the author presents a model of scaffolding that emphasises the interactive social nature of learning and the contingent, collaborative nature of support and development. Drawing on Sociocultural Theory, as well as a large body of empirical research on effective practices with second language learners, the author examines the use of specific types of scaffolding to promote linguistic and academic development. The model, developed by the author, conceives of scaffolding as both structure and process, weaving together several levels of pedagogical support, from macro-level planning of curricula over time to micro-level moment-to-moment scaffolding and the contingent variation of support responsive to interactions as they unfold. [More] Descriptors: Scaffolding (Teaching Technique), English (Second Language), Second Language Instruction, Models
(2006). The Effect of Majority Language Exposure on Minority Language Skills: The Case of Inuktitut, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Children who are native speakers of minority languages often experience stagnation or decline in that language when exposed to a majority language in a school or community situation. This paper examines such a situation among the Inuit of arctic Quebec. All 18 participants in the study were native speakers of Inuktitut, living in home environments that were functionally monolingual in Inuktitut. Half lived in communities with relatively high exposure to the majority language (English), while the other half lived in communities with low exposure. One third of each group were in Grade 3 (first year of school exposure to majority language), one third in Grade 8/9 (sixth year of school exposure) and one third were adults. Each participant narrated a 24-page wordless picture book (Frog Story) in Inuktitut. Narrations were analysed for story length, lexical diversity, grammatical complexity and narrative structure–all measures that are expected to increase or show improvement with increased language ability. Results are inconclusive; some suggest that higher exposure to English leads to stagnation in Inuktitut, while others do not. Methodological issues are discussed, and suggestions for further research are provided. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Native Speakers, Monolingualism, Adults
(2006). Using Assessment to Inform Instruction in Cherokee Language Revitalisation, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Language loss is a concern for the Cherokee Nation in northeastern Oklahoma. As part of language revitalisation efforts, in 2001 Cherokee Nation opened the Cherokee Immersion Preschool in which teachers use only Cherokee throughout the day with their monolingual English-speaking students. Based on a study of the Immersion Preschool that spanned six months, this paper describes the positive backwash effects of assessment on practices of teachers in the programme. Specifically, we examine the role that classroom observation coupled with a formal language assessment–the Cherokee Preschool Immersion Language Assessment–played in identifying undeveloped aspects of the children's Cherokee language skills and targeting specific techniques teachers could use to encourage children to communicate more effectively in Cherokee. The findings suggest that beneficial backwash produced by meaningful and well designed assessments has the potential to positively inform teachers toward improving classroom instructional practice. The Cherokee Immersion Preschool's experience with language assessment has implications for Native American communities implementing early childhood immersion for language revitalisation purposes. [More] Descriptors: American Indian Languages, Language Skill Attrition, Language Skills, Immersion Programs