The impact of neoliberalism on language education has recently attracted scholars' attention. Linguistic entrepreneurship is a conceptual lens through which neoliberal implications for language learning and use can be investigated. This commentary offers comments on common threads of themes running through the four articles in this special issue.…

Macroeconomic forces, globalization, transnational capital flight, and massive migration have global and local reverberations that affect our classrooms, teachers, communities, and students. In particular, teaching and learning mathematics in multiple language contexts is affected by these broader dynamics. Thus, politicizing the discussion around…

A violent conflict between Maoist insurgents and the national government has engulfed Nepal for most of the last decade, a situation that has been complicated by deep-seated instability at the highest levels of the government itself. Even with the declaration of a ceasefire in 2006, violence endures in pockets of lawless banditry and unrest at the…

Educational issues arising from French's ambiguous status in Morocco are discussed, and a case is made for establishing French as a support language. Objectives and a methodology are suggested. (MSE)

UNESCO has undergone several phases in its contribution to the formulation of language policies worldwide. UNESCO has acted as a somewhat sporadic advocate over the years without coming forward with an actual charter of linguistic rights. It may be that international organizations by their nature seek consensus only or that UNESCO is without a…

The status of French in Morocco is ambiguous: it is neither an official language nor a foreign language, and it would benefit greatly from an official definition that would allow a variety of language conflicts to be resolved. (MSE)

The privileged position of English in Zambia is discussed, followed by an argument that using English as the language of instruction is counterproductive. Practical and sociocultural implications of teaching "standard" English are considered. (28 references) (Author/LB)

Reasons why Kiswahili has not been officially established as the language of instruction in Tanzania are explored. Language background, sociocultural and pedagogical arguments, and comparisons with the use of French Immersion programs in Canada are discussed. Political interests are identified as the primary reason for retaining English. (34…

The political changes which have occurred in Spain, e.g., the introduction of a democratic system of government, have made it possible for Catalonia to re-establish the official use of its language--Catalan--and to use this language in education. This process of change and educational practices today are discussed. (RM)

A discussion of new language policy in South Africa, creating 11 official languages and terminating the privileged status of English as sole or co-official language, looks at a number of issues in language policy creation. The framework for this analysis is that language may be viewed from four perspectives: as a problem, a right, a resource, or a…

Singapore's language policy must balance the wishes of the various ethnic groups, the political situation in the regions, and the needs of economic development. Malay, Mandarin Chinese, English, and Tamil are all recognized as official languages. Malay has special symbolic status as the national language. (RM)

Arguments for students' use of their first language as well as English in the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classroom are reexamined. Pedagogical and political aspects of ESL instruction are noted. (LB)

Difficulties involved in staffing bilingual education programs in Australia are discussed. Bilingual teachers are defined as speakers of English and a community language that is the mother tongue of a sizeable non-English speaking group. Viewpoints are based on an attempt to implement a small-scale teacher training program at La Trobe University.…

Argues that educators should provide black youth with the history of Black and Standard English and encourage them to examine these two forms critically, along with the social and political situations that created them. Young black people who know the value of language and culture will not have to surrender one of these languages. (SLD)

Argues that educational research does not support the effects of transitional bilingual education as a superior instructional practice for improving the English-language achievement of limited-English-proficient students. Real studies are needed of the effectiveness of intensive English language instruction. (SLD)