This paper provides a comparative perspective on a language minority group in the United States, offering insights into the development of language policies for a new, developing multicultural Europe. It begins with background information that frames the current policies and cultural debates about Spanish, and to a lesser degree other non-English…

Gaelic is a minority language in Scotland. Gaelic speakers tend to be older and concentrated in the Western Highlands and Islands and some urban centers. Gaelic is used mainly in craft work and with friends and community members at prayer meetings, stores, post offices, and social events. Gaelic has no official status and limited legal protection.…

This thesis, covering the years 1918-2000, is divided into four chapters. Chapter 1 reviews the interwar history of non-Estonian education with particular emphasis on the diversity of the non-Estonian population, the legislation protecting the right of minority groups to mother tongue instruction, and the inclusion of Estonian language and civics…

Papers from a colloquium on the relationship between Canada's official languages and its economy include: "Economic Dimensions of Minority and Foreign Language Use: An International Overview" (Karim H. Karim); "European Research on the economics of Language: Recent Results and Relevance to Canada" (Francois Grin);…

Analyzes the problems of multilingual societies, arguing that multilingualism will not hinder economic development and communication, provided that the requirements of the various regional sections and social strata are respected. Denounces foreign language dominance as an instrument of colonialism and advocates enrichment of local languages…

This paper examines the evidence on negative effects associated with Irish immersion programs and concludes that even in earlier immersion schools, which frequently lacked parental support, there is little evidence of detrimental academic effects. Many Irish immersion teachers emphasized the importance of parental commitment to immersion…

Analyzes the official (Kuomintang) language policy in Taiwan, which had exalted Mandarin and suppressed other local languages, and the efforts during the last decade to revive Tai-yu, a major language in the post-war period. The dynamics of the Tai-yu language movement reveal a pressing problem facing Taiwan: how to balance national cohesion with…

Looks at the autobiographies of immigrant women and discusses the attitude that immigrants must learn English in exchange for the advantages accrued to them. Suggests that this attitude reflects an unrealistic view of the immigrant experience as uniformly positive. Concludes that any policy designed to create common linguistic ground for national…

Notes that a group of mestizo intellectuals in Peru claims that "Qhpaj'simi" is the Quechua used by the ancient Inca nobility and is the purest form of Quechua. Explains that a social hierarchy has arisen with the use of this "imperial language" demarcating its users from the common people and that these purist attitudes play a…

Examines the role of English worldwide and introduces paradigms: a "diffusion-of-English paradigm" and an "ecology-of-language paradigm." Discussion of the two paradigms in light of recent tendencies within the European Union, the postcommunist states, and the international arena emphasizes the alliance between language…

Attempts to determine why a highly multilingual country such as Zaire has not yet chosen an indigenous language for official use. Argues that should Zaire choose such a language, Swahili, it should become an additional language rather than a substitute for the incumbent official language, French. (47 references) (Author/CK)

Analyzes the major linguistic and sociopolitical factors responsible for the underdevelopment of written languages based on non-Mandarin dialects. Explores language planning efforts in Taiwan to standardize a written language based upon the local dominant dialect. Argues that the social and political costs of the success of dialect writings may be…

Examines creativity in Indian English and Singapore English. Highlights the differences between linguistic creativity and literary creativity in the two varieties and suggests that language planning policy and practice in the two countries are responsible for the differences found there. Implications for language planning are explored. (27…

Discusses how British language policies in India during the 18th and 19th centuries were characterized by a controversy between Anglicists and Orientalists. A study of the controversy shows a close relationship between language policies and political power. (36 references) (Author/CK)