This edited volume considers the contemporary position of 18 threatened languages. Two important questions are examined in every case: (a) what is the current demographic and functional status of a threatened language? and (b) what is the best way to understand its future prospects? The view presented in this volume is that there are ways to save…

There is a growing awareness among some Arab education specialists that the low levels of educational achievement and high illiteracy and low literacy rates in most Arab countries are directly related to the complexities of the standard Arabic language used in formal schooling and non-formal education. The complexities mostly relate to the…

Discusses a community-based nonformal education movement in Papua New Guinea to use hundreds of the country's languages to teach initial literacy in local preschool and adult education programs. The article describes this movement, the proposed government reform of the English-only formal education system and the ensuing conflicts. (37 references)…

Discusses current research on six bilingual elementary schools in Friesland, focusing on students' command of Dutch and Frisian, and on school policies concerning Frisian as an instructional subject. The proportions of Frisian- and Dutch-speaking children in an area, the pedagogical and sociolinguistic climates, and the problems associated with…

This book incorporates a general discussion of bilingualism and its relation to sociolinguistic facts with a description of the Redwood City, California, bilingual education project, begun in 1969. Chapter 1 describes the phenomenon of bilingualism, while Chapter 2 deals with the concept of bilingual education. The relationship between…

Considerations in teaching students from linguistically diverse backgrounds are outlined. The instructional program must consider: (1) the social, economic, and political circumstances of the students' families; (2) their reasons for being in the United States and the length of their residence; (3) their attitudes toward the English-speaking group…

This volume contains six major papers on the following topics: (1) the concept of linguistic minority; (2) juridical approaches in linguistics; (3) a typology of interventions in the public sector; (4) a typology of interventions in education; (5) the use of language in private enterprise; and (6) the concept of ethnic group. The necessity of…

Disciplines interested in communication have failed to describe adequately the comprehension or production of taboo or dirty words with the result that little is known about the phenomenon. A review of research leads to the assumption that taboo word comprehension and production are the result of some or all of the following elements of the…

"Data Trends" reports present summaries of research on mental health services for children and adolescents and their families. The article summarized in this "Data Trends" discusses the role of culture in children's development and mental health, disparities, and cultural competence in children's mental health services. Access…

The 25 selected papers contained in this volume reflect the current diversity of interests and research methods within the field of sociolinguistics. Titles include: "What is a Language?"; "The Unreality of Quantitative Figures"; "Addressee-Oriented Features in Spoken Discourse"; "Women's Speech, Women's…

Discussions in speech and language pathology often contain references to language differences and the ways these differences compare with speech and language disorders. There is ongoing research on the regional varieties of English, and within the past decade, information on social and ethnic variation in language has been accumulating. Based on…

This monograph represents a collection of reports on research into various aspects of linguistic attitudes, particularly attitudes that teachers may hold toward children of different ethnic and social status groups. Two research projects are discussed, the Chicago research and the Texas research. The Chicago study was designed to answer two…

A study was conducted to supply data on the characteristics of young adult Chicanos compared with their Anglo peers. A stratified random sample of undergraduate Mexican-American (N=153) and Anglo (N=148) students was taken at the University of Texas, El Paso, where one third of the students enrolled have a Spanish surname. A self-devised…

While numerous studies on bilingual education have looked at student test scores, drop-out rates, and parental responses, this study looks at the attitudes of the students directly affected by bilingual education. Interviews with a representative sample of 132 elementary school students (grades 4-6) in El Paso, Texas were conducted for this study.…

This review is intended to expand on the issues of: (1) the cultural and linguistic identity of children of minority groups in Britain, and (2) the teaching of English to these children. The review relates these issues to the broader questions of policy in the education of minority group children and highlights some areas where research is needed.…