Presents a political overview of the dual cultural identities and official language policy in Canada. Details of recent events are provided about issues of language and culture and their relationship to the Quebec separatist movement. (93 references) (CK)

Discusses language planning in modern Spain in terms of policy formation and implementation. The article argues that the elevation of Castilian to a position of linguistic supremacy is closely connected with the history of the development of a Spanish centralized state. It is concluded that whereas linguistic pluralism exists in theory, social…

Summarizes global findings from surveys of literacy levels around the world and makes the case for the sociopolitical bases for access to valued reading and writing practices. Drawing on recent Australian research, it focuses on difficulties in current provisions for reading education in institutionalized adult literacy programs. (seven…

Explores what an emphasis on reading as social practice can tell us about the nature of reading. The article maintains that what counts as a "proper" reading of the text is highly constrained by the classroom context and that classrooms should be discourse sites where specific ways of reading are required and particular regimes of reading are in…

Explores the issue of reading positions from the perspective of one aspect of appraisal in English. The analysis focuses on the realization of judgment in history texts, taking note of explicit and implied realizations, and the range of reading positions (compliant, resistant, or tactical) that might be taken up. (nine references) (Author)

Explores a number of reasons for the limited benefits of second-language (L2) reading research and instruction interactions. Nine issues (including vocabulary development and fluency) viewed as dilemmas for L2 reading are examined. Alternative directions for research and instruction are suggested for certain issues; for other issues, the dilemmas…

Recent attention to the teaching of reading in adult English- as-a-Second-Language courses has prompted us to trace the major shifts in reading pedagogy that have occurred in the Adult Migrant English Program. Reference is made to some key resources and research that have reflected and shaped practice in the teaching of reading. (21 references)…

Discusses the limitations of dominant notions of background knowledge (BGK) as neutral information and objective knowledge and of the reading techniques that accompany these notions. The article argues that the notion of BGK should be broadened to include awareness of the social processes of production and interpretation of text. (26 references)…

Summarizes the experiences of workers from non-English-speaking backgrounds (NESB) in accessing safety information. The article examines the issue through the workers' eyes and focuses on the potential relationships between language and literacy and workplace health and safety and a concern for the reasons why some NESB workers are losers in…

Examines the use of English as the "lingua franca" in Fiji and analyzes the reasons for the rapid growth of the manufacturing industry there. The article reviews publications discussing adult literacy, English as a Second Language (ESL), and communication on the island. It is concluded that the manufacturing industry will see the benefit of adult…

Argues for the adoption of a literacy pedagogy to enable tertiary level students from different language backgrounds to access expository text. The article describes the outcomes of a project exploring whether college freshmen from different language backgrounds had appropriate strategies and awareness levels to understand and retain ideas from…

Focuses on how people from different cultures organize and sequence texts in different ways and how students write essays in a second language that follow the rhetorical patterns of their native language. The article describes the types of essays Chinese students must write for the university entrance exam in their home country. (10 references)…

Examines the communication strategies used by adult second-language learners of English when performing contrasting pedagogic tasks. The article suggests that existing descriptions of communication strategies ignore the pragmatic function of such devices in interactive discourse and offers a reclassification that differentiates strategies…

Suggests that the communicative approach plays a role in English language teaching in China, but that aspects of this approach must be applied selectively partly because of the educational environment there. The article argues that the approach embodies significant Western culture-specific assumptions regarding learning processes. (15 references)…

People categorize items and concepts according to a prototypical image they build in their mind of what it is that represents the particular item or concept in question. The article argues that the notion of prototypicality has important implications for a discussion of genre. (35 references) (Author/CK)