Presents model using elements of status, social group or speech community, and values for treating literacy as a sociolinguistic phenomenon and in support of bilingual education. Uses Navajo and medieval Jewish languages as examples. (BK)

Both sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics are relatively recent areas of study and they tend to overlap. One way in which they overlap is in the selection of topics, among them bilingualism and linguistic relativity. Studies of linguistic relativity demonstrate that, although there are clear surface distinctions between the way languages map…

The author discusses three recently established organizations now taking an interest in bilingual education: ACTFL (American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages); ATESL (Association of Teachers of English as a Second Language, part of the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs); and TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of…

This article presents an outline of how some linguistic studies have formed the basis for the start of an experimental program in training bilingual Navajo elementary school teachers. (RC)

This paper notes the tendency among non-literate peoples such as the American Indians to lose their native language as the demands of modern technology increasingly push them towards literacy in a language which is not their own, and argues that literacy in the vernacular language may present such acculturation and language loss from going hand in…

This is both a report on the numbers of native speakers of Apachean languages and a statement of the need for sociolinguistic studies of these languages. (CK)

This paper argues the case for the establishment of local affiliates of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). The author considers the process of language acquisition ("the central business of growing up and of becoming a useful member of society") and the role that both formal and informal education play in it. The…

A model is proposed that maps into a single, multitiered and integrated structure all factors relevant to a bilingual education program: psychological, sociological, economic, political, religious, cultural, geographic, demographic, historical, and linguistic. (Author/SJL)

Successful bilingual programs depend on some understanding of the language situation involved, the possible strategies of bilingual education, the effects of these strategies, the assessment of community desires, the best ways to find and train teachers, the method of evaluating curriculum, the effect of learning styles, and the possibilities of…

The educational policy of the kingdom of Tonga, located in the South Pacific, boasts a high level of literacy in both English and the vernacular language (Tongan), making this country a thriving example of national biliteracy. While written English serves external relations, higher level administrative or educational functions, written Tongan…

Discusses the sociolinguistics of literacy with reference to three examples: the history of Jewish education and attitudes toward literacy, the Rock Point Community School bilingual program, and the Pacific Northwest Indian Reading Program. (EKN)

Current trends in American Indian bilingual education are discussed. An overview of American Indian bilingual programs is presented. The model utilized shows the range of variation in situation, programs and goals. (HP)

Bilingual and bicultural or multicultural educational programs involve economic and political issues that should be answered affirmatively and with respect for the informed decisions of the local community. Schools unfortunately may have more power to destroy than to enhance minority cultures. (CTM)

The development of literacy in selected bilingual societies was investigated. Historical and comparative studies were conducted of medieval Jewish communities, the Navajo community, a northern New Mexico village, and the countries of Paraguay and Tonga. The goal of the case studies was to develop a model for the development of literacy in the…

Paper presented at the 1973 TESOL Convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (HW)