Departments of linguistics in Australian universities and their interdisciplinary characteristics are discussed. (PG)

Discusses revisions of the New South Wales Police Code of Practice designed to encourage interpreters, improve interviews, and enhance intelligibility of scripted cautions. Each of these issues is framed in terms of a model of applied linguistics in which an issue or problem is defined, a solution is proposed and implemented, and the success of…

The relationship of systemic functional linguistic theory to the following themes is examined: differences between speech and writing; written genres; and the study of spoken language, especially for its relevance in school learning. (65 references) (LB)

A nasal separator was used to measure the oral and nasal components in the speech of a normal adult Australian population. Results indicated no difference in oral and nasal sound pressure levels for read versus spontaneous speech samples; however, females tended to have a higher nasal component than did males. (Author/TL)

Data are presented on some aspects of metalinguistic awareness in Dutch adults who emigrated to Australia at least 25 years ago. The findings show that the migrants do not differ significantly from a control group in the Netherlands, suggesting that first-language metalinguistic skills are extremely resistant to attrition. (Contains nine…

The relationship between teachers' theories of language and learning and the nature of classroom discourse is explored. Data from two classes on Aborigine lifestyles suggest that there are three components functioning in all lessons: interpersonal, content, and metalanguage. The quality of the metalanguage component influences the overall quality…

This paper reviews sociolinguistic work which has addressed the provision of justice for Aboriginal English (AE) speakers in Australia. It questions the assumptions about cultural and linguistic diversity and inequality which underlie this work, and proposes a critical sociolinguistic approach, which draws on social theory in the analysis of how…

The internationalisation of education has become a major focus of international, national and institutional attention, reflected in a substantial and expanding literature on how internationalisation is manifested, how it might be promoted, its implications for areas such as government policy, strategic planning and management, educational quality,…

The following articles appear in this issue: "Changing Views of Language in Applied Linguistics" (Gillian Brown); "Society, Education, and Language: The Last 2000 (and the next 20?) Years of Language Teaching" (Michael Stubbs); "The Secret Life of Grammar Translation" (Malcolm J. Bensen); "Changing Views of…

Recent proposals concerning integration of foreign language study with social science study in New South Wales are described, and the background of debate in linguistics against which these proposals may be viewed is outlined. (RM)

In view of the many and varied language problems in the typical Australian school, a general course in language studies is essential for all teachers. This paper attempts to suggest a basic orientation and a set of guiding principles for such a course. The content of a general language course is discussed in terms of what a teacher needs to know…

A discussion of language policy formation and planning in Australia covers the following: the development of the national policy on languages, and the Australian Language and Literacy Policy and its four goals related to English language and literacy, languages other than English, aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, and…

Argues that in seeking a healthy fusion of power, applied linguistics is in a position to discover the appropriate response to the dilemma of injecting ethical responsibility into the profession while dealing with the competition for power between marginalized groups and the establishment. (15 references) (Author/CK)

Notes the increasing use of English language testing in Australia for nonlinguistic purposes in contexts governed by political pressures. Explores recent test examples and the pragmatic considerations giving rise to such test development. (28 references) (Author/CK)

The thought of Samuel Messick has influenced language testing in 2 main ways: in proposing a new understanding of how inferences made based on tests must be challenged, and in drawing attention to the consequences of test use. The former has had a powerful impact on language-testing research, most notably in Bachman's work on validity and the…