The aim of the present article is to provide an overview of the current state of affairs regarding foreign language education and bilingual education in the different parts of Belgium. In a brief historical contextualisation, we explain how language education in Belgium has been shaped by the country's political and economic history, which has led…

This article examines the position of German in the European Community (EC): What role has German played since the founding of EC? How did the two current working languages, French and English, come about? What are the pros and cons of German as the third working language? Who are the advocates and opponents of the German language and why? (AB)

In Canada, education in French as a second language (FSL) offers students the opportunity to learn a second official language. Is such an opportunity appropriate for allophone students who are still in the process of learning English? This literature review provides a fourfold consideration of the issue. Section 1 examines the political response…

Discusses the government-approved simplification of French spelling, and describes rectifications of spelling problems frequently found in forming or using accents, verbs, hyphens, noun plurals, and other anomalies. (CB)

At the llth Biannual Conference on French Language the subject of language planning and the future prospects of French language development were discussed. Promoters of French language worldwide concluded that francophone Africa will play a major role in French language development from the year 2000. (TR)

Discusses Luxembourgeoise, the official language of Luxembourg, and the roles played by the other dominant languages of Luxembourg, French and German. (VWL)

This monograph discusses the linguistic problems posed by the teaching and learning of non-African languages in multilingual African situations. Chapter 1 identifies and discusses the linguistic problems of foreign language education. Chapter 2 examines (1) the nature of linguistic descriptions, (2) the assumptions underlying contrastive analysis…

Compares the language laws of five Soviet Republics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia, and Kazakhstan) with Quebec's Charter of the French Language along the following lines: proclamation of an official language; the common language in question; language of communication with customers and citizens; language of education; and linguistic…

Discusses the usage of French in Gabon. As in other nations of francophone Africa, French is the language of upward social mobility in Gabon, and it offers access to the international community. However, one factor peculiar to Gabon is the virtual absence of a Gabonese national language, which promotes a greater dependency upon a mastery of the…

A survey measuring native French speakers' preference for English words instead of the officially sanctioned French equivalents revealed that subjects had high passive recognition of French terms, concluding that the French terminological process reminded users that French had ample resources to create its own expressions without automatically…

Discusses the official system of trilingualism and the dual-language education system in Vanuatu, suggesting that these place enormous strains on Vanuatu's infrastructure. Appropriate multilingual development for the future requires that fundamental issues of constitutional interpretation and definition of language policy be resolved. (Author/VWL)

Factors affecting the survival or decline of French in Zaire are examined, including its social, cultural, and political status, the history of other European languages established in Africa, and the influences of intercultural needs and ethnic identity on the continued use of French. (Author/MSE)

The second part of a study on the defense of the French language (see Part I in the Winter 1992 issue) presents historical overview of the Quebec government effort of renewing, normalizing, and promoting the French language in that province. The controversial aspects and effects of Law 101 are examined. (43 references) (LET)

Discusses changes in language contacts that are evolving in Quebec between the minority Anglophones and the French-speaking majority. Census data analyses and field research studies indicate that the pattern of language usage among Anglophones is altering in favor of French, indicating capabilities for and attitudes toward greater participation…

Addresses the question of mother-tongue education of children, especially in francophone countries of Africa. It seeks to contribute to the debate on the integration of local languages into educational systems in multilingual settings by stressing the opposing cultural messages carried by official and indigenous languages. (Author/JL)