Using as a framework the theory of the ecology of language formulated by Einar Haugen, compares two Finnish minorities in Sweden, one which ceased to exist in the middle of this century and one, the Tornedal Finnish minority, which still exists. Discusses circumstances favorable to the preservation of Finnish in the Tornedal. (SED)

Discusses the status of the Same (Lappish) language which is distributed into six different dialect groups. Earlier research into the problems relating to the linguistic behavior of a Same group living in Finland and the position and use of their minority language is analyzed in terms of demographic, social structural, and political-legal factors.…

Discusses the assimilation process of the Kven (descendants of Finnish-speaking immigrants from Northern Finland and the Tornio River Valley in Sweden to Northern Norway) and the historical factors and government policies which has lead to their status today as an assimilated group speaking the majority language. (SED)

Discusses the way the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation treats the Norwegian dialects of bokmal and nynorsk and the minority languages of the Same people (Laps) and immigrants who have arrived during the last two decades. Describes the Corporation's language rules for the use of the dialects and the Laps' and the immigrants' languages. (SED)

Discusses the problems encountered in defining a language minority. Lists four basic criteria common to all language minorities: (1) self-categorization; (2) common descent; (3) distinctive linguistic, cultural, or historical traits related to language; and (4) social organization which places the group in a minority position. (SED)

Discusses and evaluates currently accepted theories of ethnic or linguistic identity and maintenance. Lists factors which have a bearing on the long-term fate of a minority. Analyzes the data for the European linguistic minorities using the data matrix reported by Erik Allardt in his monograph on ethnic revival in Western European societies. (SED)

Using acid rain as a metaphor, discusses the status of the Frisian language and culture as one which, though apparently thriving, is really threatened. Examines the sources of this threat, i.e., the education system, the church, mass communication and transportation, and the demise of the Frisian village community. (SED)

Discusses some of the ways that researchers participate in constructing and legitimizing new forms of racism, focusing on how researchers have constructed and treated such concepts as mother tongue, ethnicity, and integration. (41 references) (Author/CB)

Presents an approach to a typological outline for categorizing minority-language situations in such areas as speaker, language, and setting juxtaposed with dimensions including sociology, linguistics, and psychology. (36 references) (Author/CB)

Explores several models of cognitive and structural perspectives involving minority-language situations, and attempts to integrate them into a framework of predictive propositions that elaborate psychosocial climates of maintenance, majority-minority encounter, and interactive strategies. (65 references) (Author/CB)

A brief survey of existing contributions about language by economists is presented. An explanation is given of the fundamental economic reasoning on which minority language use can be modeled, and the presentation of a model of minority language use incorporating such aspects as goods, wage rates, prices, and the labor market is described.…

Presents an investigation of 100 immigrants students in Copenhagen to ascertain their relations to the ethnic boundary between "Danish-ness" and "non-Danishness" and their patterns of communication in conversation with an adult native speaker of Danish. Implications for the education of immigrant students and for curricula are…

Presents a demographic approach to the study of linguistic minorities, focusing on major analytical issues, particular data needs, and research possibilities. The approach's potential in the study of second-language acquisition, language maintenance, and shift pertaining to linguistic minorities is illustrated. (40 references) (Author/CB)

Examines three Nordic bilingual programs: (1) immersion, where majority children with a high status mother tongue learn a second language; (2) submersion, where minority children with a low status mother tongue are forced to learn the majority language; and (3) language shelter, where minority children learn the majority language as a second…

A brief description of factors affecting the generally neglected study of reversing language shift (RLS) is presented. and An eight-step model for building and planning such research, taking into consideration such influences as community and neighborhood, family, and school, is described. (CB)