Limon Creole, spoken on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, Central America, descends from Jamaican Creole and is similar to it in many respects. While Jamaican Creole is undergoing a process of decreolization (i.e. the speech community has reached a post-creole status, in De Camp's terminology), Limon Creole exists in the context of a prestige…

The Canadian government opted for a politics of bilingualism according to the "personal solution" whereby the Canadian citizen, whether English or French, can demand the protection of his language regardless of the section of the country in which he lives. In a "territorial solution," an individual can claim official status for…

This paper provides a sociolinguistic discussion of the language situation in Israel, based on relevant linguistic and Hebraic literature and on the author's two year visit to the area. The author discusses the background and use of the many different languages spoken in the country; the function of each language is described. Characteristics of…

Although English will continue to spread, its functions intra-nationally will be reduced and its major role will be that of an international language. This development will influence English language teaching syllabi and material design, creating new demands on language teachers and their preparation programs. (Author/CB)

This regional dossier aims to provide concise, descriptive information and basic educational statistics about minority language education in a specific region of the European Union--the South of France. Details are provided about the features of the educational system, recent educational policies, divisions of responsibilities, main actors, legal…

This regional dossier aims to provide concise, descriptive information and basic educational statistics about minority language education in a specific region of the European Union--Fryslan, one of the 12 provinces of The Netherlands. Details about the features of the educational system, recent educational policies, divisions of responsibilities,…

Bilingualism is a reality that many Americans still find difficult to accept; hence the prominence of English-only activism in American politics. This collection of essays analyzes the sources of the anti-bilingual movement, its changing directions, and its effects on education policy. This book also explores efforts to resist the English-only…

Discusses language policy matters and the management of cultural and linguistic diversity in the area of education, with particular reference to Eritrea in East Africa and its application to Australia's language situation. The article presents examples of the impact of the tyrannical imposition of language usage, including the long-term…

Examines the political implications of linguistic policy and reports on a recent visit to an Ethiopian Teachers' Training Institute. The article discusses the difficulties inherent in the imposition of major educational reform under severe resource restraints. (20 references) (Author/CK)

A discussion of language policy formation and planning in South America focuses on the highland indigenous sectors and covers the following: colonial languages; immigrant languages; and indigenous languages, including planning, acquisition planning, and corpus planning. (Contains 83 references.) (LB)

A discussion of language policy formation and planning in South Africa covers the following: the sociolinguistic complexity of the country, language-related national problems, language in nation building, current policy, and language planning agencies. (Contains 75 references.) (LB)

Increased use of English in Singapore, a multiracial, multilingual country, especially its use for cultural purposes, has met with some controversy. This article traces the historical development of Singaporean literature in English and the sociocultural and political problems such literature faces in a country where the official languages and…

Recounts the activist history of the Conference on College Composition and Communication in working toward a more democratic valuing of language diversity by both teachers and the public. Focuses on two organizational policies of CCCC, the "Students' Right" resolution of 1974 and the "National Language Policy" of 1988,…

Investigated whether the threshold-level hypothesis could be applied to a three-language-in-contact school situation. Looks at one of these three-language-in-contact school situations in the Basque Country of Spain, a bilingual community where both Spanish and Basque are official languages and are therefore taught in school. (Author/VWL)

Shows the acute dilemma facing a country with a widely spoken indigenous language, Kiswahili, in circumstances where a foreign language, English, has become the de facto language of instruction. Discusses the background of this policy and suggests an alternative, bilingual policy that gives equal weight to Kiswahili and English. (MJP)