This profile in outline form discusses the English language teaching situation in the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking areas of Belgium. The situation in the Dutch-speaking region, which includes Flanders and Brussels (the latter having both Dutch and French as official languages), is described in terms of the extent of English instruction…

This paper analyzes the demographic, sociolinguistic, and educational status of Basque in the whole of the Basque country: the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC), Navarre in Spain, and the Northern Basque Country in France. It also discusses English as a third language within the bilingual educational system in the BAC. In terms of demography, 22%…

Investigates the relationship of attitudes and cultural background to reading comprehension in the second language (L2) of Israeli Arab students learning Hebrew and Israeli Jewish and Canadian Arab students learning English. Results showed that the motivation of students to learning their L2 was instrumental rather than integrative, regardless of…

The debate continues about regional norms for English usage around the world, although the discussion has become more realistic and less didactic. Educated non-native varieties are increasingly accepted, distinctions are being made between national and international language uses, and localized varieties are no longer considered as necessarily…

A survey of the status of language usage in Iraq begins with an overview of the usage patterns of Arabic and Kurdish, especially in the context of recent political events and the agreement to make Kurdish a second official language in the Kurdish autonomous region, and to allow limited use of Kurdish in instruction and public communication. A…

The materials status report for Pashto, the national language of Afghanistan, is one of a series intended to provide the nonspecialist with a picture of the availability and quality of texts for teaching various languages to English speakers. The report consists of: (1) a brief narrative description of Pashto, the areas where it is spoken, its…

The materials status report for Slovak, the official language of the Slovak republic in Czechoslovakia, is one of a series intended to provide the nonspecialist with a picture of the availability and quality of texts for reading various languages to English speakers. The report consists of: (1) a brief narrative description of Slovak, the areas…

The materials status report for Somali, the official language of Somalia, is one of a series intended to provide the nonspecialist with a picture of the availability and quality of texts for teaching various languages to English speakers. The report consists of: (1) a brief narrative description of Somali, the areas where it is spoken, its major…

The materials status report for Khmer, the majority and official language of Cambodia, is one of a series intended to provide the nonspecialist with a picture of the availability and quality of texts for teaching various languages to English speakers. The report consists of: (1) a brief narrative description of Khmer, the areas where it is spoken,…

The materials status report for Sinhala, the majority and official language of Sri Lanka, is one of a series intended to provide the nonspecialist with a picture of the availability and quality of texts for teaching various languages to English speakers. The report consists of: (1) a brief narrative description of Sinhala, the areas where it is…

The materials status report for Mongolian, the official standard language of the Mongolian People's Republic, is one of a series intended to provide the nonspecialist with a picture of the availability and quality of texts for teaching various languages to English speakers. The report consists of: (1) a brief narrative description of Mongolain,…

A study sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization had the following objectives: (1) to describe and evaluate the policies, practices, facilities, and methodology of foreign language teaching in the Commonwealth Caribbean, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Suriname, the Netherlands Antilles, and Cuba; (2) to…

This issue of The Journal of Social Issues is devoted to nine articles on the topic of bilingualism written by authorities in the fields of linguistics, anthropology, sociology, psychology, and education. The authors and their topics are: (1) Dell Hymes, "Models of the Interaction between Language and Social Setting," (2) Joshua A. Fishman,…

Two basic issues underlie problems associated with the teaching of Bahasa Indonesia in the Indonesian primary schools. The first involves language standardization and deciding what form of the language will be taught. The criteria of understanding and communication are involved and such features as pronunciation, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation,…

This book offers an overview of the events surrounding the development of the two official language communities (English and French) of Canada during the last 30 years and the establishment of a model of official bilingualism. The text is provided in both languages. Chapter 1 describes the context of language change: historical origins of…