Reviews and synthesizes speech act analysis (Austin and Searles), politeness phenomena (Brown and Levinson), rules affecting speaking (Hymes), and activity analysis (Wittgenstein). Advances the notion that the theories are complementary rather than contradictory. (EKN)

Discusses replacing foreign language study for students who are not highly motivated second language learners with a linguistics-based course on language awareness. Gives ideas for exercises on language and dialect differences and suggests that the course would also be a good accompaniment for more advanced foreign language classes. (EKN)

The common assumption that the terms "standard French" and "popular French" are based in objective reality is challenged by looking at the variety of French usage around the world and the need for true communicative competence. (MSE)

Presents the results of a contrastive study of French and English advertisements directed at family needs. The study, based on the work of British students attending an advanced French course, analyzes male and female roles, stereotypes, and changes, as they emerge from the language and images of advertising. (MES)

Expounds Firth's views on the problems of translation and surveys theories of translation by some Firthian linguists. Defines the concept of meaning and the concept of varieties within a language, discussing various dialect categories and other categories that relate to constant features of speakers' and writers' use. (MES)

Describes the alternating and mixed use of Swedish and Finnish in a company in the bilingual city of Vasa, Finland. Tradition, language knowledge of the employees, and occasional factors determine use in internal routines. Use is largely free from conflict, given that most employees know the other national language. (Author/PJM)

Argues that language shift appears to correlate highly with the development or nondevelopment of political movements based on language issues. Three major Celtic languages are described to illustrate this: Scottish Gaelic, Irish, and Welsh. Degree of politicalness of language issues seems to correlate inversely with the rate of language shift.…

Suggests that structural universals between different-based pidgins result from universal linguo-cognitive processing strategies which are employed in learning languages. Some of the strategies occur in all types of acquisition, and others are more applicable to L2 type acquisition. Past research is discussed, and some exemplary data are given.…

Describes the newly emerging debate in England known as "bilingualism and mother-tongue teaching" by discussing: (1) the general scene, including historical background and educational and minority group attitudes; (2) the main component of the mother-tongue debate embodied in administrative questions; and (3) certain features of the wider context…

Describes a set of questionnaires administered to 400 French speakers in France and Switzerland to study variation in the position of the adjective in a noun phrase. The first objective was to separate rigidly structured contexts from those affected by fluctuations, the second was to detect regularities and hesitations in individual behavior. (MES)

Defines the general area of France where Occitan is spoken and the area where the information was collected. States that Occitan monolingualism has almost totally disappeared and describes the relationship between Occitan and French as one of bilingualism with diglossia, with the distribution of Occitan speakers being strongly influenced by…

Discusses the ways in which the lexical items, grammatical code, and the uses of the vernacular sign language, Providence Sign Language (PSL), are interdependent and based on content rather than on an arbitrary, internally defined system. (PMJ)

Examines the extent to which sociocultural features influence the emergence of a standard Nigerian English. (Author/AM)