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…

Examines Nigeria's language policies in terms of (1) the historical, sociolinguistic, political, educational, and ideological contexts in which they arose; (2) their impact on patterns of language choice and use in education and other aspects of life; and (3) their implications for the theory and practice of language planning. (51 references) (GLR)

Twelve community translators provided verbal accounts of their strategies while completing translations of a short leaflet from English into one of seven community languages. They adopted approaches wholly oriented to the needs of a specific ethnic minority groups in British society, resulting in a markedly sociocultural translation model.…

Argues that the cultural complexity in English language classrooms across the world require ethnographies of nonverbal behavior and of curriculum project design and management beyond the classroom. (83 references) (Author/CK)

Discusses the similarities between the science of chaos/complexity and second language acquisition (SLA). Notes that chaos/complexity scientists focus on how disorder yields to order and on how complexity arises in nature. Points out that the study of dynamic, complex nonlinear systems is meaningful in SLA as well. (78 references) (Author/CK)

In the past few years researchers have begun to show an interest in humour and language play as it relates to second language learning (SLL). Tarone (2000) has suggested that L2 language play may be facilitative of SLL, in particular by developing sociolinguistic competence, as learners experiment with L2 voices; and by destabilizing the…

Addresses the notion of "interaction" within performance-based language assessment, arguing that a broader professional view of performance in second-language achievement assessment is needed to permit a focus on the social dimension of interaction. The article focuses on the assessment of spoken language through interviews and role-plays within…

Drawing on the results of sociolinguistic research in three ethnically different communities in Wellington, New Zealand, this paper explores and illustrates the process of language shift and language revival. Members of the Greek, Tongan, and Chinese communities were interviewed; and data were collected on their language proficiency, patterns of…

This study proposes an alternative approach to research on the acquisition of sociocultural competence, focusing on a speech event rather than a speech act, and drawing on the concept of scripts as developed by cognitive psychologists. (51 references) (JL)

Current research supports the notion that language users make both unconscious and conscious choices when accommodating their language for public use, incorporating regional and social distinctions as well as notions of correctness and acceptability. Such decisions occur at the level of communicative competence and become part of the communicative…

Analyzes linguistic human rights (LHRs) as an inalienable norm needed for speakers of dominated languages. The article reviews work in promoting LHRs in international forums and assesses the extent to which these rights are protected in existing covenants. Respect for LHRs, in particular the right to education via one's mother tongue, is seen as a…

Surveys the problems of coordinating theory with practice in applied linguistics and language teaching within the context of the disconnections of theory from practice in theoretical linguistics. Explores the basic frameworks of language science in terms of the applicability and proposes an alternative program. (49 references) (Author/CK)

Examines communication training aimed at women, such as assertiveness training, as an example of linguistics applied to real-world problems and argues that both the problem and the proposed solution are sociolinguistically and politically misconstrued. Such training often makes overgeneralizations regarding women's communication skills and assumes…

To study lexical knowledge relevant for school success, 40 monolingual Dutch and 40 bilingual Turkish 9 and 11-year olds were asked to explain the meanings of common Dutch nouns in an extended word definition task. Compared to the monolingual Dutch children, the bilingual Turkish children allotted less extensive and varied meanings to Dutch words.…

Examines the modes of accommodation to America of working- and middle-class mothers of Cuban heritage living in Miami, Florida, in terms of language proficiencies. Findings indicate that working-class mothers encourage their children to learn English in order to succeed, a subtractive form of bilingualism, whereas middle-class mothers encourage…