In this paper, we explore the role of mundane artefacts, namely bank notes, in the construction of language policy. Our case study involves a site of complex language policy and politics, namely the current day territory of Transcarpathia. During the twentieth century the region of Transcarpathia belonged to several different states: to the…

This monograph provides an overview of the language situation in the three Baltic countries: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It examines the recent change in language regimes that the Baltic States have deliberately brought about since the restitution of their independence, the nature of these changes, the opposition they have engendered and the…

Stresses the importance of maintaining multilingualism in the United States in the face of arguments by "English Only" advocates that the U.S. risks being torn apart by multilingualism. Historical evidence from the Soviet Union and from Australia is cited to support the viability of successful management of multilingualism. (Author/DJD)

The Soviet Union (USSR) is an immense multinational and multilingual country. At the time of the Revolution (1917) there were 150 national languages spoken in the USSR and 180 recognized linguistic groups, however, 70% of the total population of the USSR was illiterate and the literacy rate of the Middle Asia varied from 1% to 5%. After 1917, mass…

There are more than 100 ethnic groups or nationalities in the Soviet Union. Many of these still speak their own native language. To accelerate mass education, these native languages are used in K-12 schools; however, the Russian language is promoted as the main language of science, technology, and international discourse. (RM)

Papers presented at a symposium on Europe's less commonly taught languages include the following: "The Necessity of Dialogue" (Marcel de Greve); "Socio- and Psycholinguistic Interference in Teaching Foreign Languages" (Penka Ilieva-Baltova); "Satellite Television, National Television, and Video in Teaching/Learning Less…

Essays on the campaign to establish English as the United States' official language include: "Official Languages and Language Planning" (Richard Ruiz); "Una lingua, una patria?: Is Monolingualism Beneficial or Harmful to a Nation's Unity?" (David F. Marshall and Roseann D. Gonzalez); "Canadian Perspectives on Official…

A survey of the status of language usage in the Soviet Union begins with an overview of patterns of usage of Russian, Ukranian, Uzbek, Belorussian, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Armenian, Georgian, Lithuanian, Moldavian (Romanian), Tajik, Turkmen, Kirghiz, Latvian, and Estonian. The stability of these languages is discussed in the context of centralized…