The major threat to Native languages embodied in the "English Only" movement is discussed and ways that the United States historically has allowed language freedom is documented. The following points are made: (1) contrary to myth, the United States has never been a monolingual country; (2) for most of U.S. history, the dominant federal…

Puerto Ricans have been largely ignored in the current debate over English as a national language. Once the rhetoric of language restrictionists is discarded, the real issue becomes that of the political empowerment of Puerto Ricans. The history of language policy in relation to Puerto Ricans is also reviewed. (SLD)

Historical forces and factors affecting the development of Canada's bilingual programs for ethnic minorities include changing immigration policies, a decline in Anglo-conformism and growth in multiculturalism, fears about native language maintenance and second language learning, and language and cultural attitudes in second language learning. (MSE)

The data and analyses presented in this report are from the first (1980) wave of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) study, "High School and Beyond," a longitudinal study of U.S. high school seniors and sophomores. This study was conducted for NCES by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.…

This book, a cultural, thematic, and sociolinguistic study of ethnic labeling in American popular speech and usage, probes for the source of the modern ethnic slur. Providing insight into the social workings of American society and culture, the book examines the history of popular speech--a rich source of information about the American collective…

In North Dakota, the schools played the major role in imparting American culture to the immigrants who by 1920 numbered 67% of North Dakota's population, but rural schools were not ideally suited to the task. The immigrants tended to cluster in nationality groups in geographic areas of the state, giving communities distinct ethnic identities. The…

The materials presented here contain information about Cajun history, demography, language, music, and song. They include: a list of significant dates and events in Cajun history, from 1604 to 1990; maps indicating Cajun parishes in Louisiana and settlement areas in 1790 and 1981; notes on Cajun French, including distinctions between it and…

Describes social and intellectual climate at beginning of World War I that was exemplified by overzealous patriots demanding public displays of loyalty. Relates how six professors of German were permanently discharged by University of Ann Arbor. Describes incidents of goading by students and colleagues, and discusses failure of the American…

Discusses the diversity of languages in Western Europe and the peripheralization of maritime and border languages through isolation, domination by other languages, and fragmentation of the culture. Discusses minority rights issues, suggesting rise in bilingual education implies border-language revival. 5 tables, 27 references. (TES)

The history of the education of Montreal's Greek population is traced in this report, which is partly intended to act as a stimulus for future planning and development. Six chapters contain, respectively: (1) a history of Greek day education in and around Montreal, from its origin in 1910 with the founding of the "Plato" school to its…

This CD-ROM provides interactive, multimedia software that enables students to investigate many aspects of Native American and European encounters in the Mississippi Valley through study of original historical sources, including texts, maps, artworks, and archaeological finds. The Lower Mississippi Valley was chosen as the study area because of…

In the work of Americanization, which is, in the broad sense almost entirely educational, the teacher is of first importance. Not every person who can do good work as a teacher of a grade or of particular subjects in a school for children or youth can do equally good work as a teacher of classes of adult foreign-born persons. The preparation for…

Surveys the history and influence of native and non-Anglo ethnic groups who contribute to Australia's cultural diversity. Focuses on the struggle to preserve the Aboriginal language and asserts that legislation is needed to expedite pro-bilingual education policies. Describes several efforts made to promote cultural pluralism in Australia. (KH)

Describes the English-only effort in the Territory of Hawaii that typified the Americanization crusade that swept the United States during and after World War I. Asserts that, although the Americanizers focused on southern and eastern Europeans on the mainland, the focus on Japanese in Hawaii added overtones of racial and political discrimination.…

While many people think of folklore as part of the culture of rural, isolated, uneducated people, folklore has a much broader definition and can encompass all areas and be found among all people. Folklore tradition can include school fight songs, ghost stories, children's games, ethnic jokes, jump rope rhymes and family recipes, as well as…