Scholarship on dialect diversity in classrooms has yielded two seemingly incompatible lines of research. Although numerous pedagogical approaches have been shown to provide productive alternatives to traditional responses to stigmatized dialects, research on public perceptions and teachers' attitudes suggests that negative beliefs about…

This paper suggests elements of an agenda for future sociolinguistics among minority groups, by seeing it as a mutual relationship that involves benefits to researcher and researched. We focus on two aspects of the relationship. One is the political, economic and social benefits that can accrue to a minority group as a result of the research.…

Although courts are urging linguistic sensitivity, linguistic geographers and sociolinguists are providing evidence on linguistic variety. (RL)

Explores the effects of the race of the interviewer on data derived from sociolinguistic fieldwork. Particular focus is on the potentially differing effects of white and African-American fieldworkers on interviews with African-American interviewees. (Author/VWL)

In response to two essays by Toury and Hermans on translation and norms, this paper takes issue with certain contentions from Toury's essay. Examines the grounds for a general theory of translation, discusses what translation is, presents a general theory of translation, and describes the chasm between professional and expectancy norms. (SM)

This article first introduces some theoretical considerations concerning the emergence and evolution of sign languages from the semiogenetic perspective. It then presents results from a linguistic study of the phenomenon of lexical stabilization in three emerging sign languages used by Brazilian deaf adults who live in a hearing environment…

Sociolinguistic variation in the copula system of Black English was studied in the light of the linguistic history of the dialect and universal constraints on possible grammars. An attempt was made to identify sociological factors which account for the fact that the grammar of American Black English does not exhibit evidence for a creole stage in…

Gives an analysis of the way in which Spanish speakers in rural New Mexico gain metacommunicative competence. Suggests that native metacommunicative routines provide a rich source of sociolinguistic and social-cultural data and that awareness of these repertoires can assist field workers in using interviews more appropriately and effectively. (EKN)

Discusses relevance of language acquisition and use to educational practice and the student's school performance. (GB)

Provides a brief overview of the main methodological tools used in studies of language attitudes, focusing on the paradigm of speaker evaluation. Discusses the kinds of findings emerging from these studies and speculates on priorities for future language attitude research. (EKN)

Discusses the importance of research on language attitudes, especially in a multilingual situation and gives examples of recent research. (EKN)

Reviews Peter Muhlhausler's book "Linguistic Ecology: Language Change and Linguistic Imperialism in the Pacific Region." Discusses the linguistic diversity of the Pacific, the linguistic impact of colonialism in the Pacific, and the role of linguists in the evolving linguistic situation in the Pacific. (Author/VWL)

Responds to an earlier article that critiqued a book written by the author of this article on linguistic diversity in the Pacific.(Author/VWL)

This literature survey was conducted to provide information on Aboriginal language learning and teaching in Alberta. Specifically, it provides an overview of the current literature relating to: the language-to-culture connection, aboriginal language pedagogy and instructional practices, and parental and community involvement. The Aboriginal…

Basil Bernstein's research on the sociology of language indicates that he views language as both subjective and objective. Subjectively, it structures an individual's intentions and thought processes; objectively, it preserves and makes public the store of knowledge of human society. The sharing of language is the basic way in which the objective…