Many actions have been taken recently to bring about a revival of the French language in Acadiana (Acadia), a "triangulated area, delimited by, but not including, the cities of Lake Charles, Alexandria, and New Orleans." Historically, the Acadians "spoke exclusively and happily their native French language," but they became…

A survey of the current language situation in India from a historical perspective, and an analysis of assumptions concerning language development. It is concluded that present government policies are ambivalent, giving lip-service to narrow definitions of mother tongues while directing resources toward the development of more broadly defined…

The status of bilingualism in Cameroon is unusual in that both French and English are foreign languages. Although French seems to be predominant, the official intent is to establish bilingual primary schools to create completely bilingual individuals. This approach is costly, difficult, and perhaps unnecessary. (CHK)

Suggests that racism may be the motivation for the English-only laws passed in 18 states. Cites studies showing the benefits of bilingual education over English immersion. Concludes that the English-only movement would impede the delivery of psychological, educational, psychometric, and health services for many American residents. (DM)

To keep the balance between internal and external needs in a modern world regional languages should be used as the media of instruction at the elementary level. Standardized link languages should be introduced at some point in the secondary level to ease the transition from monolingualism to multilingualism. Available from Humanities Press, Inc.,…

The speech, half in French and half in English, is an endorsement of the association, an indication of political, social and educational reforms it might influence, a reminder that members of the association, Canadian Parents for French, were present and interested, and an appeal for good public relations. (AMH)

Necessary facilities for a successful implementation of bilingual education policy in a country like Nigeria are discussed. It is argued that the policy adopted there was too ambitious and unrealistic and that certain fundamental issues were ignored. Difficulties may lead to a total demise of the policy. (Contains 18 references.) (Author/LB)

When the movement for "English Only" began some years ago, the author told participants at a bilingual education workshop that he was against it. He was rendered momentarily mute because he had thought that the English Only proponents could not curtail the freedom of expression guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. The way he understood…

The United States has become increasingly multilingual in recent decades, and while English is the most commonly spoken language, almost 11 percent of Americans prefer to speak another language at home. Bilingualism is promoted by governmental units at the federal, state, and local levels through a variety of programs, particularly in education…

An evaluation of the Six-Year Primary Project showed that Nigerian students who were taught in their mother-tongue (Yoruba) for the first six years of primary school scored higher academically than students who were taught with their mother-tongue for the first three years and then were switched to English. (RM)

In multilingual India each state has the responsibility for providing education and determining the language(s) of instruction. This report describes some of the regional options provided for language(s) of instruction at various grade levels. The use frequency of major languages for university instruction is tabulated from a 1965 report. (SJL)

Reviews a book that documents the rise of the English-only movement in the 1980s and examines historical and sociocultural factors shaping the movement, potential effects of an official language on constitutional rights of language minorities, anti-immigrant sentiments and America's obstinate monolingualism, and the ongoing battle for equal rights…

Despite its multilingual heritage, the USA has a history of linguistic intolerance. Arizona, in the country's desert Southwest, is decidedly anti-bilingual although it has significant non-English-speaking groups, especially Spanish-speaking Mexicans/Mexican-Americans and indigenous groups such as the Navajo, Hopi and Yaqui tribes, among many…

This is a progress report on the first year of an experimental bilingual education project for primary education in Haiti, sponsored by the Centre Haitien d' Investigation en Sciences Sociales (CHISS), The center's goal was to carry out a scientific project, to secure the facts from emotional and political prejudice. The point is to show the…

Discusses bilingualism in Canada in terms of rationale, demographic trends and reactions, and government action. Argues for a positive view of cultural diversity and for tolerance and understanding of linguistic differences. (Author/MJL)