Analyzes the utility of narrative as a legitimate educational research tool, reviewing major research paradigms; comparing sociolinguistic (narrative) and empirical research methods; discussing conceptions of narrative; exploring the sociopolitical, conceptual, and theoretical frameworks guiding narrative and empirical research; examining…

The notion of critical linguistics is examined, and it is argued that the diverse objectives usually given for Language Awareness programs appear to be given desocializing weightings in actual materials. Ways that Critical Language Awareness can be incorporated into a family history writing project are described. (20 references) (Author/LB)

Endangered languages, or languages on the verge of becoming extinct, are discussed in relation to the larger process of loss of cultural and intellectual diversity. This article summarizes essays presented at the 1991 Linguistic Society of America symposium, "Endangered Languages and Their Preservation." (11 references) (LB)

The articles in this special journal issue on hypercorrection are reviewed and related to accommodation theory. A heuristic model is presented that places hypercorrection in a theoretical framework designed to explore its antecedents and consequences in a variety of settings. Directions for future research are also suggested. (30 references) (LB)

Describes the social situations and attitudes of speakers of Dyirbal in addition to changing language identifications, and reports on Dyirbal contract in lexical and grammatical complexity as it has moved toward an inevitable extinction. (11 references) (GLR)

Analysis of a sociolinguistic interview reveals repeated presentation of ideas, words, expressions, and structures. These recurrent devices and patterns increase the effect of arguments. The immediate purpose is the listener's acceptance of the speaker's views. There is also a concern to gain recognition of the speaker's opinion of self and his…

Presents theoretical discussion of the emergence of linguistic features of documents that indicate society is moving toward a view of writing as a form of constitutive social action and of written documents as autonomous material objects having a life of their own. Linguistic features of Anglo-Saxon wills are shown to differ from those of modern…

It is argued that any attempt to explicate the notion of lying can proceed only on a prior understanding of the notion of truth. Two Russian words for "truth" and two for "lie" are examined, and various dimensions of meanings of the pairs are discussed. (17 references) (LB)

Three books are discussed: Andresen's "Linguistics in America 1769-1924: A Critical History," Crowley's "Politics of Discourse: The Standard Language Question in British Cultural Debates," and Crowley's "Standard English and the Politics of Language." (36 references) (LB)

The growing use of English in Vietnam is reviewed, along with the nation's linguistic history that exemplifies the close relationship between language and politics. The English curriculum in Vietnamese schools is described, and the future role of Outer Circle countries in English language teaching is considered. (19 references) (Author/LB)

Demographic study of the number of deaf users of Australian Sign Language (Auslan) identified over 15,000 deaf who used Auslan daily in interactions with deaf and hearing persons, and evidence of strong social and linguistic cohesion in the deaf community, but high levels of unemployment and underemployment. (16 references) (Author/CB)

Guy's hypothesized linkage between empirical linguistics and formal linguistic theory is supported in a study of the English of 45 Chicanos from Los Angeles, which as a recently formed dialect provides an interesting test case. Age differences are found in the morphological classes associated with /-t,d/ deletion. (13 references) (Author/LB)

Presents an economic approach to the analysis of the value of certain languages, and assesses the sociolinguistic choices in Asian Pacific countries in light of this approach. It is found that English is the most important language in the Asian Pacific and that its importance is linked to economic factors as predicted by the analytical framework.…

Variationist linguistics, also called sociolinguistics, has been misunderstood and misrepresented in second-language acquisition (SLA) research. Four impediments to the development of a profitable interaction between sociolinguists and the SLA community are discussed. (36 references) (Author/LB)

Critiques controversies about Chicano dialects and, particularly, the linguistic status of Chicano English. Proposes a model of Chicano languages/dialects based on assumptions about the nature of the speech setting of Chicanos. Characterizes Chicano English as the autonomous vernacular dialect of native-English-speaking Chicanos. (70 references)…