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Deaf children of monolingual Hispanic families possess unique linguistic needs and are recognized as a "minority within a minority" because of their unique language situation, in which case, American Sign Language (ASL), is not available in their environment, and both Spanish and English are essentially spoken languages and not accessible to them. In order to develop a strong language foundation, deaf children need exposure to ASL. Moreover, their own parents, if non-signing, also need exposure to ASL to serve as a language model and to maintain reciprocal and effective communication. A formal signed language intervention program is critical for deaf children and their families of non-English-speaking backgrounds. In response to the linguistic and educational challenge posed by Hispanic deaf children, a complete approach has been developed and utilized in this case study. The ASL intervention project is especially designed to explore the feasibility and outcome of this study in meeting the unique linguistic needs of the Hispanic deaf child and the family.

This paper reports on the relationship between the perceptions of the native listener of personality traits of nonnative speakers and the grammatical errors and phonetic errors of nonnative speakers' speech. Research to date shows that native listeners do have definite attitudes towards "accents," and their attitudes differ according to what accent is produced. However, no empirical study has yet been reported investigating the parts of the "accent" that elicit a particular response. / In this study, speech samples were collected from three nonnative speakers of English, one Spanish, one German and one Arabic. Each speaker recorded a speech sample of English that contained only grammatical errors and another which contained only phonetic errors. The respondents were 122 randomly chosen college freshmen. Each respondent heard eight speech samples, the six from the nonnative speakers and a control of each speech sample type. However, the respondent was led to believe that s/he was hearing eight different speakers. While the respondent was listening to a given speech sample, s/he was filling out a semantic differential questionnaire; attributes such as good looks, leadership, humor, and likability were measured. / Results show that, when listening to speech containing phonetic error, native listeners differentiate between American English and each of the other language background speech samples, perceiving the American English speaker more positively; but not among the language background speech samples. In speech containing grammatical error, native listeners do not differentiate between American English and either German or Spanish language backgrounds, but do differentiate between American English (more positively) and Arabic, as well as between German (more positively) and Arabic. It is concluded that, with respect to phonetic error, native listeners have strong perceptions of persons speaking with such errors. However, speech containing grammatical error does not elicit as strong a reaction from native listeners. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-07, Section: A, page: 2492. / Major Professor: Frederick L. Jenks. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The purposes of the study were twofold: first, to analyze the structures and characteristics of pretend play, and second, to explain how the second language learner manages extended pretend play interaction with his native-English speaking friend over time. Two preschool children were videotaped biweekly for a ten-month period during sessions lasting approximately one and one half hours. One boy, a native speaker of Korean, was five years old at the beginning of the observation, and the other, a native-speaker of English, was four years and seven months old. For analysis, pretend play episodes were selected according to criteria established by Smilansky (1968) and were transcribed verbatim. / Based on Garvey and Berndt's framework (1977) of analysis of pretend play in first language learners, the data of the study were analyzed in terms of the following aspects: (1) macro-level components of play, (2) themes/internal structures of play, (3) individual performances, (4) topics of communication, (5) communicative strategies, and (6) functions of social language in play. With the extension of Halliday's functions of language (1975), the children's utterances were scrutinized in order to understand what types of functions were generated from the transcribed data. Several salient functions of their social language were identified. / The results of the study demonstrated that (1) the schematic structures of play served as a scaffold for the second language learner so that he could contribute to the unfolding of play and keep the play on track, and (2) what developed most significantly was the second language learner's increased ability to use specific language functions over time. The crucial developmental phenomena were observed in his more frequent use and great familiarity with the following functions: (a) retorts such as negation and challenge, (b) elaboration, and (c) regulatory utterances. In addition, the children's use of demonstration had the function of language teaching. Until the second language learner became able to utilize these functions with frequency and facility, he could not move towards the control of play and his playmate. / The results of the study underline the importance of imaginative play as a problem-solving context in child second language learning that allows second language learners to use the L2 productively in a sustained manner. The observation that the second language learner acquired and practiced various functions of language in such problem-solving contexts as imaginative play without adult intervention further suggests that encouraging young children to interact with peers in sustained pretend play contexts would be beneficial to their learning of communicative, social, and cognitive skills. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-09, Section: A, page: 3352. / Major Professor: Elizabeth Platt. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

This study was designed to develop an in-depth understanding of the nature and quality of the international graduate student experience which would facilitate the exploration of theoretical implications of the dynamics involved in social and academic relationships and interactions. A secondary purpose was to assess whether administrative and student perceptions of the international graduate student experience at the Florida State University reflected National Association for Foreign Student Affairs principles for international education exchange. The target population for this research consisted of international graduate students who were near completion of their academic programs and middle-level adminstrators (unit directors and department chairpersons). Data was gather primarily through individual interviews with randomly selected students and a survey of administrators. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-07, Section: A, page: 1663. / Major Professor: Joseph Beckham. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.