Argues that language shift appears to correlate highly with the development or nondevelopment of political movements based on language issues. Three major Celtic languages are described to illustrate this: Scottish Gaelic, Irish, and Welsh. Degree of politicalness of language issues seems to correlate inversely with the rate of language shift.…

Presents an analysis of the English language teaching situation in Nigeria in three parts: the first traces the sociocultural, political, and educational activities in Nigeria which have influenced language activities since 1960; the second summarizes emerging trends affecting the use of English; and the third proposes a radical change in English…

Focuses on the likely sources of variability in discourse structure by comparing the introductions to papers written in a variety of related disciplines by three groups of physical scientists: Anglo-Americans writing in English, Chinese people writing in English, and Chinese people writing in Chinese. (39 references) (GLR)

People frequently make assumptions about others because of their spoken or written use of a particular dialect or language. The varieties of English that people use are often regarded as indicators of corresponding intelligence, competence, motives, and morality. Such assumptions--frequently based on myths and misconceptions about the nature of…

The following papers on the issue of multilingualism in second language instruction are included: (1) "Problemes linguistiques dans les societes plurilingues (Linguistic Problems in Multilingual Societies)," by Amadou-Mahtar M'Bow; (2) "Aim: Multilingualism. The Dismantling of Resistance and Prejudice," by Eva Koberski; (3)…

Argues that second language learning is a form of enculturation that involves learning the perspectives and identities that a culture allows and values. Proposes that a language teacher is actually changing the cultural identity of the student. (FMW)

Surveys the legal status of English in Israel before and since the country became independent, attitudes toward the language, its use in schools and by the media, the influence of English on Hebrew, the kinds of English used, and related topics. Since 1948, English has played an increasingly greater role. (Author/PJM)

Examines the relative contributions of the school and the family to the bilingual development of francophone minority group students in western Canada. The implications for the survival of the French language in western Canada are discussed. (74 references) (GLR)

A preliminary report is offered on schools that offer all or a greater part of their instruction in a language other than English. Emphasis is laid on instruction geared toward the language maintenance of ethnic communities. Language reports include the approximate number of speakers and number, distribution, and basic characteristics of schools.…

This paper focuses on the roles and functions that English based vernaculars play in contemporary society and reviews literature pertinent to that topic. Areas considered include (1) societal behavior toward language, (2) language as a group marker, and (3) the contextual parameters of language use. In the discussion of societal behavior toward…

Summarizes 10 presentations made at the workshop on a variety of topics including: classification of Chinese dialects; the importance of semantic units in tone sandhi; insights on Chinese character recognition among brain-damaged patients; and a cognitive approach to the study of Chinese grammar. (TR)

Studies the attitudes toward deaf society of two new deaf Gallaudet students who had been raised in an "oralist" tradition with biases against deaf culture. Their attitudes are compared with those of a deaf graduate oralist who had become acculturated into the deaf community. (PJM)

Group bilingualism, the contact situations which lead to it, and the role of language in maintaining ethnic boundaries are examined. Emphasis is laid on minority languages in the United States, Canada, Europe, and South Africa. The insistence of these groups on maintenance bilingual education rather than the acceptance of transitional assimilation…

Discusses cultural models, prototypical scripts that constitute the meaning of language as used by a particular group. Argues that the role of the second language teacher is to encourage students to focus on and develop beyond the cultural models of their home cultures and of the mainstream school culture. (FMW)

This book provides an overview of bilingualism and bilingual education by examining historical and recent literature, presenting firsthand observations, and demonstrating how both popular views and scholarly research actually mirror larger social issues. Following the first chapter, a brief introduction, chapter 2 reviews the historical…