This document describes the developing Junior University College system in Ceylon. Six institutions, resembling American community or junior colleges, were established in 1969 to fill Ceylon's manpower needs not met by her universities, technical colleges, and teachers' colleges. The Junior University College's three-fold aim includes imparting…

Language is defined here as a means of social control, a viewpoint by which language restrictions can be seen as a method of discriminating against speakers of minority languages. A government designates an official language to restrict access to economic and political power. This view of language is substantiated by an analysis of the United…

This report outlines the symposium held on the teaching and learning of the mother tongue and of other modern languages. The aims were: (1) to examine the general connections between the teaching and learning of the mother tongue and of other modern languages in mono-, bi-, and multilingual communities in Europe; (2) to consider the bearing of…

The national re-emergence of Scotland is accompanied by the desire for cultural and linguistic autonomy and identity. Issues at hand include language standardization, bilingual education, the language problems of immigrants, the role of Gaelic as compared to the continuum of linguistic varieties that go from Standard English to Scots, the adoption…

The role that education plays in Malaysia's attempt to eliminate social and economic imbalance is discussed and the outcomes in the educational system brought about by post-independent educational planning are examined. (RM)

The basic task of the National Asian Languages and Studies in Australian Schools (NALSAS) strategy has been to resource and promote the teaching and learning of Asian languages and studies of Asia in Australian schools. NALSAS focuses on four Asian languages: Chinese (Mandarin), Indonesian, Japanese, and Korean. The studies of Asia are broader,…

This book analyzes the evolution of the language situation in Canada over the last 45 years, drawing heavily from census data taken between 1951 and 1996. Chapters discuss: the evolution of the English language in Canada, including the size and distribution of the English native-language population, use of English as a home language, knowledge of…

Discusses the teaching of European languages and less commonly taught languages at all educational levels in Australia. Reference is made to multilingualism and language instruction in other countries. (AM)

Compares efforts to support minority languages in the developed, industrialized countries of the north and the developing countries of the southern hemisphere. The article examines whether comparable principles are being applied to minority language planning, and if not, what the underlying reasons for the differences are. (33 references)…

A discussion of U.S. language policy formation and planning covers the following: the literacy crisis, education of language minority populations, "official" English movement, gender neutrality, federal legislation, and emerging issues such as the status of Puerto Rico, American Indian languages, foreign language education, and the…

Discusses the Arabic language and the motivation to acquire the language within the Israeli setting. Examination focuses on the judicial status of Arabic and its communicative functions within the community, linguistic policy of the Israeli political center and the status of Arabic within the educational system, and attitudes toward Arabic and its…

Summarizes current theoretical and practical issues of second-language learning and teaching in the national curricula of Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam. Postcolonial developments in each country influence the theory and practice of first- and second-language acquisition. Of importance also are the attitudes and expectations of…

In this paper we explore language attitudes and use in the Greek Cypriot community in London, England. Our study is based on an earlier survey carried out in Nicosia, Cyprus and we compare attitudes to language and reported language use in the two communities. We thereby highlight the significance of sociolinguistic variables on similar groups of…

A discussion of Nigeria's national language policy looks at the official structure for language instruction, its rationale, and perceived problems and possibilities. The policy requires that the mother tongue or language of the immediate community be the medium of instruction at pre-primary and early primary levels, with English emerging as medium…

There is a growing perception, particularly among Hispanics, of the urgent need to structure a coherent national policy encompassing the rights of language minorities. No such policy can be framed without taking into consideration the unique situation of Puerto Ricans, who are American citizens by birth but who are taught in Spanish in Puerto…