Recent efforts to make English the only official language of the United States have spurred an "English Plus" language advocacy movement, based on the belief that all U.S. residents should have the opportunity to become proficient in English and one or more other languages. For non-native English speakers, this means opportunity to…

The bilingual educational opportunities in the universities of Canada's primarily anglophone provinces are reviewed, focusing on the prairie provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba). The information is drawn from a survey of the nine universities in the prairie provinces concerning courses offered in French to students from bilingual…

This article discusses some special problems related to bilingual education for Chinese-speaking children. Three major questions are raised. The first results from confusion over the meaning of the term "Chinese"; one must decide whether Mandarin, Canton, or Taishan should be used as the language of instruction. It is suggested that Mandarin be…

In Paraguay, a majority of the population speaks Guarani, an indigenous language. Guarani is a co-official language along with Spanish and bilingual education has been implemented. Despite these positive measures, literacy education in Guarani is limited to urban areas. The challenge is how to find the political will and economic resources to…

Using the Arizona 5% Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) from the 2000 U.S. Census, we compare language-related figures for the Mexican-origin population with those for the total population. Additionally, we compare place of birth and educational attainment data for Mexican-origin persons who speak Spanish at home with those who speak English-only…

A discussion of the movement to make English the only official language in the United States' multilingual society examines the nature and scope of the movement and draws instructional and language policy implications for teaching situations involving language-minority populations. It draws a relationship between the politics of language diversity…

In assessing the Canadian government's performance in 1976 in carrying out the spirit of the Official Languages Act, at least 80% of Ottawa's initiatives seem to have been successful, but many problems remain. This report surveys the progress made in varying sectors of government structure. The report is divided into two chapters. Chapter one,…

Claims three of the arguments advocated by proponents of the English Language Amendment (ELA) are myths, including (1) linguistic diversity causes political conflict; (2) an official language determines national unity; and (3) bilingual education decelerates the entrance of non-English speakers into the American mainstream. Argues that the ELA is…

Although Brunei Darussalam's official language is Malay, the country is linguistically and culturally diverse. Three facets of language and language education are discussed: relationships between Malay and minority languages; the relationship between Malay and English; and the place of bilingual education. (Contains 53 references.) (Author/LB)

Despite long-standing provisions in three Philippine constitutions naming Filipino as the national language, there has been no serious effort to implement the use of Pilipino in the Philippine educational system. Pilipino is based mainly on Tagalog, but is also a blend of words taken from English, Spanish, Arabic, Tamil, and Chinese. A 1973…

This volume includes papers delivered at the Ninth Annual International Native American Language Issues (NALI) Institute. Dick Littlebear's keynote address describes the importance of maintaining Native American languages. James Crawford's "Language Freedom and Restriction: A Historical Approach to the Official Language Controversy,"…

A discussion of the movement to make English the official language of the United States, by constitutional amendment, looks for a hidden agenda among its advocates. The history of and debate over the amendment in Congress and around the country are reviewed, drawing from legislative texts, speeches, essays, media commentary, and related research.…

The implementation of the Federal-Provincial Program of Cooperation for Bilingualism in Education, in 1970, in Canada, has resulted in a number of myths regarding the amount and the utilization of monies available through the program. The intent of this document is to provide information about the facets of this program that impinge on the area of…

This report on the use of the Spanish language in the United States discusses the Spanish-speaking population, the language itself, and bilingual education in the United States. The background about the Spanish-speaking population includes the following topics: (1) "A Nations of Immigrants," (2) "The Population of the…

Pupils in South African Bantu schools spend one third of their time in Standards (Grades) 1 and 2 learning the official languages, English and Afrikaans. Nearly as much time is given to the learning of their own Bantu mother tongue, the language of instruction from Sub-Standard A (Preprimary) to Standard 6. In the Lower Primary schools, through…