Literacy in School and Society

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xix

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2. Sociolinguistic Analyses and Perspectives

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. On the Notion and Implications of the Concept of Mother Tongue in Literacy Education in a Multilingual Context

      • Mubanga E. Kashoki

      Pages 3-14

   3. Issues and Trends in Early Bilingual Literacy in Brazil

      • Francisco Gomes De Matos

      Pages 15-24

   4. Non-English-Language Ethnic Community Schools in the USA

      • Joshua A. Fishman

      Pages 25-33

   5. The Development of Bilingual Literacy Skills

      • Wallace E. Lambert

      Pages 35-39

   6. Ancestral Language Training and the Development of Bilingual Literacy

      • Marcel Danesi

      Pages 41-53

   7. The Use of Creole as a School Medium and Decreolization in Haiti

      • Albert Valdman

      Pages 55-75

   8. Catalan and Castilian in School

      • Miguel Siguan

      Pages 77-90

   9. Implications of Defining Literacy as a Major Goal of Teaching the Mother Tongue in a Multicultural Society

      • Sjaak Kroon, Jan Sturm

      Pages 91-113

   10. Literacy Problems in Hungary

       • György Szépe, Márta Dovala

       Pages 115-126

   11. Multilingual Education in Britain

       • Safder Alladina

       Pages 127-132

3. Psycholinguistic, Linguistic, and Educational Issues and Problems

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 133-133

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   2. Psychoeducational Language Awareness Assessment and Early Reading

      • Marc Spoelders, Lut van Damme

      Pages 135-145

   3. The Development of Metalinguistic Awareness and the Acquisition of Formal Speech in Mother-Tongue Education

      • Gilles Gagné, Luc Ostiguy

      Pages 147-157

   4. Evaluation of Text Reading Comprehension

      • Michel Pagé

      Pages 159-173

   5. Problems of Written Comprehension and Production in Children

      • Elisabetta Zuanelli Sonino

      Pages 175-198

   6. Standard Language Acquisition by the Swiss—German Dialect-Speaking Child

      • Otto Stern

      Pages 199-220

   7. Oral Reading Practice

      • Willie van Peer

      Pages 221-233

   8. The Initial Reading Scheme

      • Stephen Parker

      Pages 235-244

The "function" and "notion" of literacy may be considered the keystone, a "filigree" principle underlying the educational, social, and cultural organiza­ tion of the societies of the twentieth century. It is therefore interesting to try to pinpoint the notion and its implications at the tum of the century by focusing the attention of scholars from various disciplines-sociolinguistics, psychology, psycholinguistics, and pedagogy-on the subject. This is the purpose of this volume, which originated from an inter­ disciplinary meeting on trends in and problems of research on early literacy through mother tongues and/or second languages, held in Venice under the auspices of the University of Venice, and in particular of the Seminario di Linguistica e di Didattica della Lingue and the Centro Linguistico Interfacolta, and the Municipality of Venice, together with UNESCO and AILA. A first far-reaching question touches on the role assigned to or fulfilled by mass "literacy" in modem society. The concept of literacy considered as a social achievement, an essential component in the process of education to be institutionally prompted and controlled, fluctuates between two opposite poles. A polemic-destructive view considers the notion and the educational "prac­ tices" connected with it as a potent instrument of social control, a tool for social reproduction and consensus. On the other side, a plurifunctional con­ structive view considers the acquisition and maintenance of different languages via educational institutions as a concrete possibility for the defense and main­ tenance of cultural pluralism and identity, be it social, ethnic, or religious.

• education
• language acquisition
• linguistics
• literacy
• psycholinguistics
• literary diction

• Seminar of Linguistics and Language Teaching, University of Venice, Venice, Italy

  Elisabetta Zuanelli Sonino

Policies and ethics