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ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE BIBLIOGRAPHY

Phyllis Butler and Aphrodite Harris

Vancouver, Vancouver Community College Press, 1990. 63pp, paper, $11.95, ISBN 0-921218-29-X
Distributed by Vancouver Community College Press, c/o Langara Campus Bookstore, 100 West 49th Ave., Vancouver, British Columbia V5Y2Z6. CIP


Professional
Reviewed by Grant Reynolds.

Volume 19 Number 3
1991 May


Phyllis Butler and Aphrodite Harris' English as a Second Language Bibliography: The Holdings of the King Edward Campus Library, Vancouver Community College held several surprises for this reviewer, not the least of which was the size and scope of the undertaking (a seventy-page opus). However, the introduction provides an explanation - the commu­nity college the library serves has more than 5,000 adults enrolled every semes­ter, over 60 per cent of whom are ESL students.

A second surprise was the selective-ness of the bibliography. Rather than catalogue everything, Butler and Harris have included only the "more current well-used materials," explaining that "many materials and methodologies prominent less than ten years ago have been replaced by more current interac­tive materials and practices that stress relevant content and communication."

The last and most pleasant surprise this bibliography had for me was its usefulness. It is well organized, titles being divided into eleven areas (e.g., "Conversation and Communication," "Listening Comprehension," "Gram­mar"), listed alphabetically, and further grouped under Beginning, Intermediate or Advanced level of language profi­ciency. In addition, each material is annotated "so that prospective users have an idea of what the material is and how it can be used."

All of these features contribute to making this bibliography a valuable guide to an increasingly complex array of ESL materials.


Grant Reynolds, Central Technical School, Toronto, Ont.
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