The current move toward sexual equality in society has caused sociolinguists to question assumptions that male language is the norm for all language, with women's language a variation of it. Desexitization of the language has become important in the field of linguistics. nAuthor/HLM)

This article describes part of an experiment aimed at elucidating the relationship between speaker, speech act and listener from a sociolinguistic and sociopsychological perspective. High school students were asked to judge the taped speech of Swedish informants from Boras, Trelleborg and the Torne Valley. (CFM)

Argues that where Spanish is in contact with Quechua, the Spanish present perfect, preterite, and pluperfect are in contrast on the basis of a spatio-temporal parameter derived from the notion of present relevance. These innovative uses come from interaction between semantic systems of Quechua and Spanish and are consistent with universals of the…

Presents a contrastive text-linguistic study of rhetorical differences between texts written by academics with different cultural backgrounds, but using as a means of expression the same language: English. Results indicate that Anglo-American writers use more metatext than Spanish-speaking writers, seem more concerned with orienting the reader,…

Analyzes the devoicing of voiced fricatives in Southern Standard Dutch (spoken in Belgium) and Northern Standard Dutch (spoken in the Netherlands) based on archived recordings of radio broadcasts from 1935-93. Findings reveal a divergence between the two language varieties in the pronunciation of voiced fricatives in this period. (54 references)…

Points to the power struggles in the teaching of Englishes and the training of language professionals in expanding, outer, and inner circle contexts of English use. Argues that these conflicts are ethical in nature and that a framework for addressing them must be incorporated into the theory and practice of language teaching and teacher training.…

Contains citations of 29 books, reports, articles, and essays on the role of English as a Second Language in Europe and its component countries. Although most are in English, others are in French, German, and Italian. The items cited span the period 1940-96, but most are from the 1990s. (MSE)

Focuses on the role of English and the evolution of a distinct variety of English in Hong Kong. Discusses this "emerging" Hong Kong English and examines how various political changes might affect a future Hong Kong identity, such that Hong Kong English might emerge into a public as well as academic reality. (23 references) (Author/CK)

Presents an analysis of code switching in the interaction between Japanese as a topic prominent language and English as a subject prominent language, using English sentences uttered by Japanese-English bilingual speakers in North America. A comparison is made with the early English interlanguage of a speaker of Hmong, another topic prominent…

The quantification of communication network integration provides valuable information for the study of language change in very small rural communities such as Grossdorf, Austria. The approach is particularly relevant when study of aggregate group behavior has failed to yield results due to small sample size or group internal inconsistency. (26…

The oral proficiency interview (OPI) has been submitted to external scrutiny and has been accepted by many foreign language educators as an accurate method of assessing speaking competence of foreign language learners. An OPI is herein examined in the context of evaluating native speakers. (seven references) (JL)

Examines the process of consonant cluster reduction in the English of residents of a San Antonio, Texas, "barrio." The author compares Tejano patterns of "/-t,d/" deletion with the pan-English pattern. Results suggest a pattern of convergence and divergence. The study shows that Mexican American English exhibits regional and…

Evaluates the hypothesis that interlanguage is an efficient means of communicating referential information. The presentation includes review of evidence of the functional hypothesis in different forms of language; description of two studies of spoken English interlanguage of learners from different backgrounds; and discussion of the consequences…

Social implications of phonological and morphological variation in Classical Latin is examined. Arguments for the social factor are instances of hypercorrection, private and domestic instances of certain datives and Augustus' use of rural "domos" for "domus." It is understood in terms of the model of urbanization. (35…

Analysis of survey responses regarding Ghanaians' preferred language policy indicated that a "3+1" language policy, involving individuals' learning of a national, international, and local language, constitutes an equilibrium outcome, although some minority-language groups would need to learn a fourth language if their vernacular is…