Explores the relationship between revolutionary ideals and the subsequent expansion and promotion of the French language. It is shown, through a linguistic and sociopolitical history of the French Revolution and the French language, that there is no incompatibility between the two and that the movement of Francophonie is a continuation of France's…

The schema generally used to describe the linguistic situation in Italy includes two categories: dialetto regionale (regional dialect) and italiano regionale (regional Italian). These stand apart from the widely accepted sociolinguistic model "variety--dialect--language." It is demonstrated that both these categories should be treated…

Discusses the "Hebrew Revival," which is considered a misunderstanding because Hebrew was never a "dead" language. (four references) (VWL)

Examines language planning and development in Suriname in reference to a Caribbean-wide phenomenon arising from movements of cultural nationalism in the region after the Second World War. During this period, people throughout the Caribbean began to question local supremacy of European languages and cultures and denigration of creole language and…

Discusses the use of Frenglish on the island of Mauritius. An examination of the local press over a nine-month period turned up ten categories of Frenglish. Frenglish in the Mauritian press highlights the uniqueness of local society by linguistically contextualizing broad ranges of social, economic, political, legal, and administrative life.…

Recounts the history of interest in developing Esperanto as a lingua franca for international law and diplomacy, beginning with Zamenhof's development of Esperanto and proceeding through the development of a lexicon for the language and through its application to legal issues. Prospects for the future of Esperanto are discussed. (DJD)

Stresses the importance of maintaining multilingualism in the United States in the face of arguments by "English Only" advocates that the U.S. risks being torn apart by multilingualism. Historical evidence from the Soviet Union and from Australia is cited to support the viability of successful management of multilingualism. (Author/DJD)

Discusses the rise of Mexican Spanish as a distinct variety of Spanish and describes the regional and social dialects of contemporary Mexican Spanish. Although countless similarities exist between Mexican Spanish and the Chicano Spanish spoken in the southwestern United States, Mexican Spanish shows greater variability. (GR)

Volapuek, an artificial language that preceded Esperanto and was the center of a short-lived movement, is undergoing an attempted revival spearheaded by Esperantists. Volapuek is recognized as the first successful international language in the history of planned languages. (Author/MSE)

Examines the place of Arabic in language education and language planning activities in Nigeria, highlighting its uses from the nineteenth century to present, methods and content of Arabic education, contributions to historical documentation in pre-colonial Nigeria and lexical expansion of Nigerian languages, and decline in its status and role. (34…

Factors in the formation of standard Spanish in the American continent are reviewed, including historical and sociological variables, and the evolution of various phonological, sociolinguistic, and written features from Castilian Spanish are discussed. In light of rapid change in Latin American society, future directions for dialect study are…

Major works on the history, structure, and teaching of American Sign Language (ASL) in the last quarter-century are reviewed, and studies of the culture of the deaf are outlined. Research on the linguistic nature of ASL is highlighted, and some attention is given to British Sign Language. (Author/MSE)

Examines linguistic data from peripheral areas of Mexico and suggests that the contemporary resistance of the final /s/ in Spanish is characteristic only of urban regions. The study also hypothesizes that Spanish final /s/ was once more generally weakened throughout Mexico. An indirect Nahuatl contribution is also postulated. (62 references)…

The history of Esperanto, a language created to promote international communication, is chronicled. Discussion focuses on the origins and development of the language, early attitudes toward its adoption, patterns of use and recognition, the development of a literature in and of Esperanto, the culture associated with the language. (Author/MSE)

Examines the role of the educational and socioeconomic levels of the speakers in advancing linguistic change. The study reviews three grammatical phenomena found at distinct stages of change. Individuals at the lower socioeconomic and educational strata of society embrace innovations in language more readily than their affluent and educated…