This section consists of reprints on the following topics: (1) the misuse of "en"; (2) anglicisms; (3) widespread use of vulgar language; (4) an interview with Emilio Criado on Spanish language variation; (5) use of the feminine in professional titles; and (6) Spanish, the national language of Latin American countries. (AMH)

Analyzes the issues at stake in the debate over official language legislation in the United States, focusing on the agenda of U.S. ENGLISH, an organization promoting the legislation of English as the official language of the United States. The article argues that restricting language rights can lead to social segregation and that people speak…

Catalan, although a minority language within Spain, enjoys great prestige within Catalonia. This article attempts to explain how conflicts in Europe, national and Catalan election politics, educational policies, and the "cold war" waged against the Catalan government together affected a change in public opinion toward a reluctance to…

Analyzes the ideological underpinnings of language policies in Galicia, an autonomous community in northwestern Spain where Galician and Spanish enjoy co-official status. Describes and critiques the politically hegemonic (or official) and non-hegemonic (nationalist) overt language policies in Galicia, and discusses the linguistic culture of…

Discusses language planning in modern Spain in terms of policy formation and implementation. The article argues that the elevation of Castilian to a position of linguistic supremacy is closely connected with the history of the development of a Spanish centralized state. It is concluded that whereas linguistic pluralism exists in theory, social…

The 1983 Catalonian Linguistic Normalization Law made Spanish and Catalan co-official languages in that region. The law's constitutionality was challenged and after more than a decade of litigation was upheld by Spain's Supreme Court, producing a polemic in Catalonia and, tangentially, an impact in the Basque region and Galicia. (21 references)…

Discusses the Basque Government's policy requiring its employees to learn the minority, co-official language. Presents reasons for the plan's deficiency, including a lack of incentives for workers, and points to a more comprehensive plan for Basquisation. (16 references) (Author/CK)

This paper examines the linguistic and legal framework in Spain and its attempts to define nationhood and a collective identity that encompasses its three major linguistic minority groups. The four major language groups of Spain are discussed with regard to official language policy and legislation. Article 3 of the 1978 Spanish constitution was…

Discusses bilingual educational policies in Catalonia, where the official aim is to reverse a language shift in favor of Catalan. Chamberlain's response focuses on the decline of Catalan under Franco, similarities between some minority languages in Europe and the language situation in Brunei, and the role of the school and the media in language…

Investigated whether the threshold-level hypothesis could be applied to a three-language-in-contact school situation. Looks at one of these three-language-in-contact school situations in the Basque Country of Spain, a bilingual community where both Spanish and Basque are official languages and are therefore taught in school. (Author/VWL)

Presents Catalan as a substantial culture and looks at the present social situation of the Catalan language. Topics addressed include legal provisions; the educational system; the influence of mass media and information technology, including computer technology and applied linguistics; the audiovisual field; second-language learning; and future…