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This paper analyzes the questions on dominant languages and minority languages included in the 1990 U.S. Census and the 1991 Canadian Census. These questions have served as the basis of much research on the determinants and socioeconomic consequences of language usage and proficiency among immigrants and linguistic minorities. The questions and coding procedures for both countries are presented and discussed. The socioeconomic correlates of the language variables are discussed for both countries, indicating the strengths and weaknesses of the various language questions for policy analysis. An alternative set of language questions that would enhance the quality of social science research on the determinants and consequences of language proficiency is presented and evaluated.

Language transmission among Mexican Americans is dependent on the strength of the parents' ethnolinguistic vitality beliefs and the degree to which they have suffered prejudice for speaking Spanish. Parents who use Spanish as the ultimate medium of self-expression are more likely to inculcate Spanish cultural pride in their children. However, their exposure to prejudice may deter them from doing so. The study does not discard the possibility that parents can maintain strong ethnolinguistic vitality beliefs without transmitting the Spanish language to their children.

Learning impaired Latino students exhibited greater comprehension following an instructional conversation approach compared to the basal or traditional instruction method. The interactive approach yielded higher levels of academic discourse both during lessons and in post-lesson narrative construction. Also, there was greater student participation when the lesson exacted higher levels of instructional conversation.

Favorable attitudes toward a minority native English-speaking (NES) group in a small community in Chihuahua, Mexico, positively influenced the inclinations of native Spanish speakers (NSS) to learn English. The presence of a bilingual school in the area was equally influential in the English proficiency of the NSS. However, the enclosure variable is the sole variable in the acculturation model that did not contribute to English proficiency independent of participation in the bilingual school.

A study revealed that Latino parents view bilingualism as a means of gaining a competitive edge in a multicultural society. These parents tend to transmit Spanish to their children because they want them to improve academically and would be an advantage should those children be relocated in a Spanish-speaking region. Also, these parents regard the speaking of Spanish as indicative of cultural pride and as an affirmation of group identity.

Many educators believe that the development of English language conversational skills at the elementary school level helps to improve academic performance. Two studies on the importance of instructional conversations show that children acquire second language skill through interaction with their peers. Instructional conversations bridge the gap between students from diverse cultural backgrounds. It helps in classroom activity by enabling to understand how children develop academic language, and challenges the traditional teacher-centered roles in second language development.

There were two significant waves of Vietnamese emigration to US; the first was in 1975, and the second was in 1978. The first group integrated much more fully, and was more educated than the second group. To better understand the problems of the second group, 327 adult Vietnamese immigrants (since 1978) aged 40 years and over were studied. About 60 percent of the sample were men, and about half of the sample were uneducated. The majority came from urban areas in Vietnam, and about 75 percent had been in the US for three years or more. Twenty-nine percent reported that they had some health problems when they first arrived. Subjects were given a questionnaire in Vietnamese and were interviewed in their native language as well. Demographics were obtained along with measures of how well each subject had learned English. It was found that older age was associated with poorer knowledge of English, and men had better language skills than women. Those arriving with an illness had a poorer knowledge of English than those who were healthy. Older adults were less likely to practice English or to attend English as a second language (ESL) classes, and males were more likely to attend ESL classes than females. Those with more education were less likely to attend ESL classes, but more likely to practice language skills with Americans. Results also indicated that language was the primary reason why some Vietnamese could not function well in American society. Implications are discussed for policy regarding services for new immigrants. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)