Examines the ambivalent attitude toward the major speech varieties used in Tunisia (French, Classical Arabic, and Tunisian Arabic) and seeks to show the effects of that ambivalence on language policy, especially with regard to Arabization and bilingualism. (EKN)

Describes the sociopolitical and educational implications of the complex linguistic situation in Belgium with particular relevance to aspects of bilingualism present in the bilingual and monolingual areas of the country. An analysis and an explanation of the discrepancy between official policy and public opinion with regard to language are given.…

Discusses Braga's contribution to the study of the sociology of language. Braga developed a dynamic interdisciplinary model of verbal communication based on theories of sociology and linguistics and stressed the importance of language in the acculturation of an individual and in the determination of that individual's status in society. (CFM)

Results of a sociolinguistic analysis of bilingualism indicated a statistically significant difference in the amounts of English and Spanish used in two contexts: formal and familial settings. The data suggest that Spanish-English bilingualism is at a crossroads: youths are bilingual by grade 12 but appear to be shifting toward English as their…

Part of a larger project on ethnolinguistic vitality and bilingual development, this study compares anglophones and francophones on their linguistic contacts in French and English, linguistic proficiency, vitality beliefs, ethnolinguistic identities, and social language use. The assimilation process is attributed to low schooling and…

While the ideal of the translator as the successfully transcultured self at the core of intercultural communication still informs a lot of articles and books on translation, historical-descriptive approaches to translation studies as well as contemporary fiction have in the past two decades provided a very different picture of the realities of…

The problems and advantages of being bilingual are discussed, along with the personality of bilinguals and the different forms of bilingualism. It is concluded that the optimum situation is passive bilingualism, i.e. reading and understanding various languages, accompanied by active monolingualism, i.e. speaking and writing only one language.…

A 1971 study of formation of language attitudes and their basis, and in particular the concept of "best" language variety, among predominantly immigrant Mexican-American parents is reported. (RM)

This study concerns the problems posed by modes of interlinguistic communication, translation, and individual bilingualism, on which depend the quality of relationships between two ethnic communities belonging to a single political entity. It also addresses a frequent question about the need for translation in a bilingual country like Canada. The…

This bibliography of ninety-five entries ranging in publication date from 1847 to 1947 brings together information from areas of history, literature, sociology, anthropology, sociolinguistics, descriptive linguistics, folk-lore and language planning, the central criterion being the relationship of these areas specifically to the bilingual…

An examination of seminal studies in sociolinguistics and bilingualism serves as a basis for setting the parameters for the language planning response to the Lau decision. The studies discussed are primarily those of W. E. Lambert and the Unesco report, "The Use of Vernacular Languages in Education..." (MS)

The factors which underlie discussions of the legitimacy, pedagogy, and politics of the variants of Spanish spoken in the United States are discussed. [In Spanish] (Author/NQ)

A presentation of evidence gathered in a study of a dying dialect of Scottish Gaelic that reduction in structure accompanies reduction in use. Recognition of distortion through unavoidable reliance on semi-speaker informants seems possible on the basis of internal or external evidence. More study is needed on the semi-speaker phenomenon. (AMH)

A description of field research which attributes the declining use of Breton to the conflict of status roles when primary socialization is in Breton and secondary socialization is in French. The growing impact of French civilization leads to increasing primary socialization in French. Notes, a questionnaire and references are included. (AMH)

Discusses intergenerational language shift as a function of intra- and intergroup relations, focusing on patterns of linguistic and ethnic intermarriage. Analyzes 1976 Survey of Income and Education data and concludes that, in the United States, non-English languages disappear between generations as social interaction widens to include…