LINGUIST List 11.712

Wed Mar 29 2000

TOC: J of Bilingual Education & Bilingualism

Editor for this issue: Scott Fults <scottlinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Kathryn King, International J. of Bilingual Education & Bilingualism, Vol 3:1

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION & BILINGUALISM Vol. 3 No 1, 

Bilingualism and Identity: The Stories of Japanese Returnees
Yasuko Kanno, Keio University and Teachers College, Columbia University,
Japan

This study examines the relationship between bilingualism and identity
by drawing upon the examples of kikokushijo, the children of Japanese
expatriates. Kikokushijo's lives provide a fertile ground in which to
explore the interplay between bilingualism and identity. In North
America their L2 (English) is the majority language, L1 (Japanese) the
minority; after their return to Japan this situation is reversed. I
collected four kikokushijo's stories of cross-cultural experience over
a period of three years as they moved from Canada back to Japan. The
results show that the students attributed different symbolic meanings
to their two languages: the majority language in each context was seen
as the key to participation in society; the minority language, on the
other hand, represented their difference from the majority, an emblem
of their uniqueness. The different roles that each language plays in
various contexts represent the two conflicting desires of many
bilinguals: a desire to be included in society's 'mainstream' and a
need to assert their uniqueness. Implications for the education of
bilingual students are discussed.

English in an Arabic Environment: Current Attitudes to English among
Kuwait University Students
Seham Malallah, College of Education, Kuwait University, Kuwait

Research was conducted on Kuwait University undergraduates enrolled in
English courses offered by the English Language Centre at Kuwait
University. It examined students' attitudes and motivations to
learning English as a foreign language in a predominantly Arabic and
Moslem environment. The research focuses on the inter-relationships
between attitude, motivation, anxiety and achievement in the English
language. Despite the studies (Al-Mutawa, 1986, 1994) that seem to
show that Kuwaitis are not in favour of the English language and
learning it, the researcher hypothesises that (1) Kuwait University
undergraduates, in general, have positive attitudes towards learning
English, towards the English language and towards native speakers of
English. Students have reasons to study English; (2) Kuwait society
values and regards the English language highly; and (3) students'
achievement is positively related to their motivation and attitudes
toward the English language and negatively related to their
anxiety. In general, these hypotheses were vindicated by the research,
which also found that the more a student is exposed to the English
language, and the more a student needs the English language either for
present studies or for future career, the more positive his/her
attitudes appear towards the language.

Bilingualism and Number in Wales
Gareth Roberts, University of Wales Bangor, Gwynedd 

Speakers of Welsh in Wales have a number of systems available to them
when they refer to numbers. The choice of system by individuals is
determined by a mixture of historical and social factors. The systems
are explained and their use is compared within different domains,
including religion, broadcasting and the media, education, business
and commerce and everyday conversational contexts. The notion of
mathematical multilingualism is explored within this framework.

Pricing Information
A 2000 subscription to International Journal of Bilingual Education &
Bilingualism (4 issues, including the above issue) costs pounds 45 or
USD 70 for individuals (paying for themselves by personal cheque or
credit card (Master/Visa) with billing address and expiry date)
schools and teachers' centres, or pounds 170 or USD 270 for all other
subscribers.

These prices include free on-line access to the electronic version of
the journal (full details on www.catchword.com).

Copies of the above papers can be ordered by credit card at
www.catchword.com. A hard copy of the above issue only costs pounds 16
or USD 25 for individuals/schools/teachers' centres and pounds 45 or
USD 70 for all others.

- 
Multilingual Matters Ltd
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Victoria Road, Clevedon, North Somerset BS21 7HH, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1275-876519; Fax: +44 (0) 1275-871673
Email: kathrynmultilingual-matters.com
www.multilingual-matters.com