A response to a critique of bilingual education by J. R. Edwards (1981) argues that our understanding of the nature of modern bilingualism must be broadened through a reading of the pertinent research in recent social science. This could lead to a grasping of the economic and social class dimensions of bilingualism in current urbanization and…

A discussion of the what, why, how, and when of bilingualism links it to biculturalism and demonstrates that effective psycholinguistic studies of bilingualism must consider the interaction of language and social structure and the functionalistic-communicative trends of linguistics. 28 references. (Author/CB)

Discusses three reasons for using mother tongue in education including preservation of cultural traditions, development of creative thought, and links between school and home. Describes creation of language-neutral materials developing graphic and symbolic skills other than writing as way to minimize cost. (Author/BK)

Claims that, after Cantonese, English is the second most useful language in Macau. Knowing English in Macau helps in finding more opportunities in trade and commerce, in negotiating services, in obtaining better work, and in comprehending more media offerings. Gives a brief account of Macau, its society, and its current development. (SED)

Recent criticism of ethnolinguistic vitality and the Subjective Vitality Questionnaire developed to assess vitality perceptions is discussed and refuted. The concept of ethnolinguistic vitality emerged as an application of social psychology to ethnic intergroup relations and is proposed as a construct for various ethnic, social, and language…

The most appropriate approach to language use in Caribbean classrooms to minimize discrimination is an integrative one that respects the various functions of language in Caribbean societies, recognizes the outward-looking nature of these societies, and promotes creative work in the vernacular. (Contains 16 references.) (Author/LB)

Necessary facilities for a successful implementation of bilingual education policy in a country like Nigeria are discussed. It is argued that the policy adopted there was too ambitious and unrealistic and that certain fundamental issues were ignored. Difficulties may lead to a total demise of the policy. (Contains 18 references.) (Author/LB)

The components of language rights for social development are enumerated and discussed, listed under such rubrics as national language development, languages of instruction, access to a Language of Wider Communication, bilingual schooling, and the cultivation of the national languages. Examples from various countries are cited. (Contains 26…

Queensland, Australia, is embarking on a massive limited bilingual second-language learning program for all students in the first eight years of school. Potential implementation problems and implications for the wider society are discussed, including the effect of the emphasis on studying Asian languages. (Contains 40 references.) (Author/LB)

Two sociocultural value clusters that predict an English-as-a-Second-language and an English-as-a-Foreign-Language approach are juxtaposed, respectively, to English language acquisition management. The two approaches are described in educational terms and related to the changing functions of English in the world and to national language…

Despite its multilingual heritage, the USA has a history of linguistic intolerance. Arizona, in the country's desert Southwest, is decidedly anti-bilingual although it has significant non-English-speaking groups, especially Spanish-speaking Mexicans/Mexican-Americans and indigenous groups such as the Navajo, Hopi and Yaqui tribes, among many…

Canadian Inuit and Mohawk indigenous schools illustrate the meeting of formal and traditional education models and suggest the dangers in oversimplified "learning style" dichotomies. The western cultural package of standard literacy practice, schooling, and abstract thought is challenged. (Contains 46 references.) (Author/LB)

Examines two initiatives to revitalize Quechua, the language of the Incas: Bolivia's 1994 reform incorporating the provision of bilingual intercultural education; and a community-based effort to incorporate Quichua as a second language instruction in a school in Ecuador. Points out that census records and sociolinguistic studies document a…