The discussion of standards in this article reveals a number of common features. First, they all focus on macro-level statements about teachers' professional work rather than attempting to detail what that work may be based on. Second, they do not make specifications about the nature and standard of relevant disciplinary knowledge (as would be the…

The study of curriculum materials is of interest to social researchers seeking to understand the social constructions of reality. All texts embody a number of purposeful choices about how reality is to be represented, and these choices have consequences for what is "foregrounded, backgrounded, placed in the margins, distorted, short-cut, glossed,…

Considers the future challenges for languages in Australia. Discusses the place of language in policy, the place of languages in the curriculum, the role of professional associations, and redeveloping a constituency for languages. (Author/VWL)

Reviews research on language learning and age, and presents a summary of the conclusions on second language acquisition and mature age learners from key writers in the field. (Author/VWL)

Provides a brief outline of six key issues that have been recurrent in the field of language education and seeks to promote further discussion of these issues. The outline is based on reviews of the relevant contents of three sources that are widely read by language educators in Australia. (Author/VWL)

Discusses why there has been a decline in the political and educational pressure to learn languages other than English in Australia. Recent political, economic, and educational changes are outlined that encourage the study of European and Asian languages. (Author/CB)

A discussion of Languages Other Than English (LOTE) curricula in Australia considers the country's social demographic composition, structure of educational provision, national language policies, state-level (particularly Victoria) curriculum design, and LOTE enrollment. (CB)

Discusses language policy matters and the management of cultural and linguistic diversity in the area of education, with particular reference to Eritrea in East Africa and its application to Australia's language situation. The article presents examples of the impact of the tyrannical imposition of language usage, including the long-term…

Evaluates the first stage of "Lernpunkt Deutsch," a new three-stage German course designed for upper elementary and early secondary school. Describes the publisher's package of materials and the appropriateness of the course, utility of the different package elements, format of the materials, and assesses whether the course provides pedagogically…

Discusses the methods of the pioneers of language study in the Bantu-speaking areas of Africa, criticizes their approaches to presenting information about African languages in lexical form, and notes that bilingual dictionaries are not adapted to the needs of African people. Suggests some technical procedures for future lexicographers to follow.…

Reviews issues to be considered in determining the order of meanings for a lexeme in a dictionary entry and compares techniques for deciding order. Types of ordering include importance, frequency, logical ordering, dominant meaning, syntactic, and historical. (MSE)

Discusses current trends in translation, including translation in the United States, standardization of international terminology, and machine translation. Speculates on some future trends. (EKN)

Humor--and communication itself--when translating from one language to another, depends on an accumulation of shared understandings about how people say things in a given culture. Examples are given in translations of Portuguese to English and English to Portuguese. (CB)

The linguistic complexity of humor is illustrated with examples of word play translated from French to English and English to French. Examples from the writings of James Joyce and Marcel Proust are highlighted. (CB)

Discusses a study that examined the vocational role of second-language learning, specifically with reference to access to foreign-language specialist literature for higher degree research purposes. (11 references) (GLR)