Examines the process of creolization in French-based Creoles, and presents a hypothesis concerning a distinction between "nativization," or the stabilization of a pidgin when learned as a first language by children, and "elaboration," or stabilization of a pidgin when learned as a second language by adults. (AM)

Texts using actual current language are highly motivating, but they demand considerable knowledge of the language. "Authentic" language--regional, technical, or sociologically conditioned--need not be scorned. Even the written style merits attention. (IFS/WGA)

Reports on a 1978 study of socially conditioned phonological change in the context of the decreolization process in Trinidad. (AM)

Pronominalization of certain phrases in French is undergoing change. Anticipation that the newer forms will become dominant means that the rules governing /le/, /y/ and /en/ as substitutes for infinitive phrases must be rewritten. (MLA)

Presents samples of 15 styles of Arabic script for a verse from the Koran. The introduction briefly describes semitic language structure. (Author/DB)

This paper attempts to investigate the semantic and syntactic features of Taiwanese question particles and to make some preliminary inquiry into their diachronic development mainly on the basis of their synchronic phenomena including, frequencies of forms in various age groups and localities. (CHK)

This article presents a glossary of popular expressions, slang and Cubanisms found in the writing of Eladio Secades. The words and phrases are defined in standard Spanish and translated into English. (Text is in Spanish.) (CHK)

Several Latinisms appear in Latin American Spanish, which would logically be farther from its Latin roots than Spanish in Spain. The existence of these elements and their importance as linguistic facts is analyzed here. Four words are treated: "Cliente,""cuadrar,""cuarto" and "rabula." (Text is in Spanish.) (CHK)

A presentation of evidence gathered in a study of a dying dialect of Scottish Gaelic that reduction in structure accompanies reduction in use. Recognition of distortion through unavoidable reliance on semi-speaker informants seems possible on the basis of internal or external evidence. More study is needed on the semi-speaker phenomenon. (AMH)

A description of field research which attributes the declining use of Breton to the conflict of status roles when primary socialization is in Breton and secondary socialization is in French. The growing impact of French civilization leads to increasing primary socialization in French. Notes, a questionnaire and references are included. (AMH)

The historically attested change of two-handed signs on the face to one-handed variants, which occurs in two historically related sign languages, French Sign Language and American Sign Language, is used to test variation theory. The results of the study support viewing languages in a dynamic framework. (AMH)

A discussion of the havoc which may be wrought in the French language by systematic application of the 1975 "Loi Bas-Laurent," determining cases where use of French is obligatory and prohibiting the use of hundreds of foreign expressions. A projected scientific study is described. (Text is in French.) (AMH)

The derivation of Latin "sum,""es(s),""est" from Indo-European "esmi,""est,""esti" involves methodological problems. It is claimed here that the development of "sum" from "esmi" is related to the origin of the variation "est-st" (less than"esti"). The study is primarily concerned with this process, but chronological suggestions are also made. (CHK)

To create an environment which motivates students to learn the conventions of formal writing, teachers must teach children the place that these conventions have in language and in linguistic history. Principles that give students a broad picture of language are listed. (JL)

A comparative analysis of four studies that emphasized linguistic similarities (rather than differences) between nonstandard speakers and other groups focused on developmental characteristics of the semantic categories encoded by nonstandard speakers compared with other speakers. Implications for language assessment are discussed. (JW)