A discussion of the work of Ferdinand de Saussure focuses on the influence of Emile Durkheim, particularly his study of suicide; language as state or process; the influence of William Dwight Whitney; the goals of linguistics; the state of language; the linguistic sign; and linguistic value. (CB)

Discusses the collection and preservation of the unwritten historical record of deaf people, focusing on historical film materials made by deaf persons and ways to index and catalog them that incorporate relevant information on cultural and linguistic aspects of the deaf community. (12 references) (Author/CB)

Although courts are urging linguistic sensitivity, linguistic geographers and sociolinguists are providing evidence on linguistic variety. (RL)

Discusses the origins of Soviet sociolinguistics and suggests that the historical significance of the reception and reinterpretation of these ideas is considerable, leading to a reconsideration of the origins of sociolinguistics and the relationship between Marxism and the language sciences in the early years of the Soviet Union. (Author/VWL)

An analysis of recent proposals concerning the typologies of language change attempts to provide a synthesis identifying the major types of change that need to be distinguished. The three major types of language change discussed are spontaneous change, borrowing, and imposition. Upon analysis, it is concluded that these three types of change…

The geolinguistic history of Norden (Scandinavia plus Finland) is reviewed. The shifting political boundaries, particularly of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, have contributed to a complex distribution of language populations that is all the more interesting given the common ancestry of most of the languages involved. The forces of nationalism have…

Examination of the descriptive power of the adjacency pair as a basic unit of conversational organization proposes that the three-part exchange, a very important element of conversational interaction, is more adequate than the adjacency pair as a basic unit of conversational organization. (Author/CB)

Discusses events leading up to and following the passage of a California constitutional amendment which declared English the official state language, focusing on the legislation's background, context, overwhelming support, opposition, and voting behavior. (32 references) (Author/CB)

This literature survey was conducted to provide information on Aboriginal language learning and teaching in Alberta. Specifically, it provides an overview of the current literature relating to: the language-to-culture connection, aboriginal language pedagogy and instructional practices, and parental and community involvement. The Aboriginal…

An overview of the field of language planning and an updated bibliography are presented. Language planning is defined as the planning of deliberate changes in the form or use of a language or language variety and viewed as a subdiscipline of sociolinguistics. Among the topics discussed are the scope of language planning, an ideal language planning…

Distinguishes between two widely different states of culture, manifest-prescriptive (involving myths, beliefs, values, dogmas, and ideologies) and personal-tacit (involving uniqueness and individualism) and explores how the gap between these two states relate to nonverbal communication, language and cultural values, and ethnic relations. (CB)

Explores the active role of the sign language interpreter in resolving simultaneous and overlapping speech, guided by social and linguistic knowledge of the entire communicative situation in making linguistic choices about what to interpret. (29 references) (Author/CB)

A brief review of social constructivism as a general movement and how it has been applied in particular to scientific knowledge precedes a review of investigations into the role language and linguistic activities have in the social construction of knowledge. A 39-citation unannotated bibliography is included. (CB)

Examines the use of introspection in applied linguistic research to raise critical language awareness. Provides an example of the author's diary to illustrate the social, cultural, and political processes that underlie language learning. Implications, including those for teaching methodology, for humanistically oriented language educators are…

Noting that the growth of linguistics as a discipline has been accompanied by an awareness of the relevance of linguistic research to the study and teaching of reading, this paper examines four points at which linguists and reading researchers have met. The four areas reviewed are: (1) linguistic methods in teaching reading, (2) sociolinguistics…