The English and French languages have been in everyday use in some part of what is now Canada for almost 400 years. The constitution of Canada states that they have equal status in the Parliament and courts of Canada and in the legislature and courts of the province of Quebec. In 1969 Parliament passed the Official Languages Act, which declared…

Two mixed varieties of Kannada, Perso-Arabic Kannada and English-Kannada, are analyzed with a view to characterizing the sociolinguistic functions of such mixed languages. The introduction consists of a definition of code-mixing, a brief review of earlier studies, and a statement of the aim and scope of the present study. Section Two is devoted to…

This volume contains twelve articles dealing with the French language as spoken in Quebec. The following topics are addressed: (1) language change and variation; (2) coordinating expressions in the French spoken in Montreal; (3) expressive language as source of language change; (4) the role of correction in conversation; (5) social change and…

Sexist language provides a useful diagnostic symptom of how pervasively women's invisibility and degradation are manifested in modern society. In analyzing instances of sexist language usage, three types of factors may be considered: (1) linguistic facts related to the sexist usage; (2) cognitive factors--attitudes, values, perceptions--behind the…

Speakers of West Flemish dialect in switching to standard Netherlandic must choose between two sets of supra-regional lexical items: the Netherlandic and the non-Netherlandic alternative. A study was carried out in July and August 1974 to determine whether it can be stated that the supra-regional language is moving towards Netherlandic. Thirteen…

Among Mexican-Americans today, not only native speakers of Spanish but also many native speakers of English speak the language with a notable influence from Spanish phonology. This paper reviews a series of studies concerning reactions of Anglos and Mexican-Americans toward accented English. The unifying goal of these investigations has been the…

Examines: (1) correlations between attitudes of Japanese students toward various variables, and their proficiency in English; and (2) the validity of attitude measures. (Author/AM)

It was hypothesized that prospective foreign language teachers would profess significantly more positive attitudes toward American English dialect differences than would prospective teachers of other subjects (English, mathematics, and social studies). The interaction of teacher attitudes and experience abroad, university attended, and urban…

Examines the attempted acquisition of Welsh by English speakers in Wales in relation to the native association of Welsh-language speech with Welsh cultural identity. The learners' status as verbal performers is investigated together with the psychological impact of that status and the ambiguity of the learners' identity on the learning process.…

Describes the present state of the Basque language within the educational field in Spain and France. The article also discusses legislative issues, the number and geographical distribution of speakers of the language, the population's linguistic attitudes, and the different models of bilingual education and its results. (Author/SED)

Twelve languages, including the two prestigious colonial languages, English and French, a French-based creole, and "ancestral" languages such as Hindi and Mandarin are spoken on the multiethnic island Mauritius. Given the multilingual, multiethnic nature of the nation, linguistic practices are an important way for Mauritians to assert or…

This bilingual book considers recent developments in French attitudes towards language purism, borrowing, and the incursion of English. The book begins with an essay by French sociolinguist Henriette Walter, and most of the following essays are direct responses to her ideas. All chapters are provided in French and English. Chapter titles include…

Examines the bilingual situation in the Federal Republic of Germany where members of a foreign minority, while striving to preserve their own national identity, are compelled to learn another language in order to assimilate into the cultural system of the new homeland. The problems for migrant workers, specifically, are treated. (Author/PJM)

Language is viewed as a nonhomogeneous hierarchical system, where complex correlations between a psychological/social dimension (external) and a linguistic dimension (internal) permit measurements of the stability and acceptability of its structures. Frequency of occurrence and integration in the system are presented as the key factors in the…

Illustrates variation affecting the position of pronouns in complex verb phrases among native French speakers. Describes the methods used to verify the hypothesis that there exists a correlation between individual hesitation and lack of consensus in the community. Analyzes data from questionnaires administered to 551 persons in Switzerland and…