Recent arguments have suggested that literacy in the Pacific does not give added status to vernaculars and that it should be discouraged, because it is not part of traditional cultures. This article disputes this interpretation, arguing that as these cultures have changed since colonial contact, literacy has been fully incorporated into many local…

Reviews diffusion and promotion of the Spanish language from the first Spanish colonizers in the Americas to the present. Describes the situation of Spanish within Spain as a form of internal colonialization and reviews language policies. Analyzes present-day institutional efforts at maintaining language co-existence within different autonomous…

Provides an overview of language planning and the sociolinguistic environment in East Timor. Suggests that those with responsibility for planning show no interest in any holistic or global approach that might take into account all the indigenous languages of the region. (Author/VWL)

Provides historical context for discussions of language planning in postcolonial societies by focusing on policies that have influenced language in three former British colonies. Suggests British colonialism, along with the emergence of America in the 20th century, is the main reason for the global role played by English today and an indispensable…

Describes the current language situation in Tunisia while maintaining a historical perspective that is helpful in understanding how language-related changes have come about, and a prospective view that may illuminate future developments. (Author/VWL)