The "consociational" political system of Belgium responds to the needs of the country's three major ethnic communities: Dutch, French, and German. All decision-making power has been transferred to regional and local governments. In order to find policy decisions acceptable to all groups, most decisions are based on accommodations and…

The European Community is facing the dilemma of respecting and maintaining Europe's traditional national languages and cultures while facilitating communication. This objective can be met by expecting all citizens to speak in their native languages but understand several others, placing emphasis on comprehension in second-language instruction.…

Most East African nations have adopted the colonial languages of English or French as the medium of communication and education. One notable exception is Tanzania where, while each ethnic group has its own language, Kiswahili serves as an effective lingua franca. (RM)

Filipinos speak more than a hundred different languages, 10 to 15 of which are major. In addition, the Philippines was occupied by two foreign powers, each speaking a different language, i.e., Spanish and English. This situation has resulted in a number of different language policies throughout the country's history. These policies are discussed.…

The role of the French language in the European Community, whose membership increasingly includes countries where French is not prominent, is examined. The distinction between official language and the lingua franca of work is noted, and strategies for ensuring the future of French in a multilingual global community are considered. (MSE)

The Windsor-Quebec City axis is Canada's most important economic entity. The axis comprises four distinct physiographic units, with considerable climatic variation across the area. Containing two distinct linguistic groups (English and French), the axis has a rich agricultural system and is the manufacturing heartland of Canada. (RM)

Singapore's language policy must balance the wishes of the various ethnic groups, the political situation in the regions, and the needs of economic development. Malay, Mandarin Chinese, English, and Tamil are all recognized as official languages. Malay has special symbolic status as the national language. (RM)

Historical, political, and sociolinguistic aspects of the teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL) in Puerto Rico are examined. It is suggested that the apparent failure of ESL instruction is in reality a motivated failure: a society's successful resolution of a conflict between government planning for bilingualism and social pressure for…

Multilayered, this book presents as a narrative, a first-person scholarly (but not academic) account of the political and educational conflicts surrounding the question of the development of language and thought. It follows a group of South African graduate students, black and white, including teachers who live in Soweto, as they struggle to…

Canada, a nation of 25 million people, uses two official languages, English and French, to recognize the country's two founding groups. In addition to an official bilingual policy, Canada has a policy of multiculturalism that encourages ethnic languages and cultures. (RM)

There are more than 100 ethnic groups or nationalities in the Soviet Union. Many of these still speak their own native language. To accelerate mass education, these native languages are used in K-12 schools; however, the Russian language is promoted as the main language of science, technology, and international discourse. (RM)