The linguistic thought of the nineteenth century is examined to show that the two traditional assumptions about the prescriptive concern for "correctness" are not valid. (HP)

The author suggests an evolutionary typology of languages and a way to integrate the concept of linguistic modernization with a theory of language problems. (Author/PM)

Presents a method of quantifying the rate of a given change in a language during a specific time period. (Author/RM)

Analyzes salutations in 75 letters of application. The 28 applicants who used masculine greetings used four different forms. The 47 who used sex-neutral greetings used 19 different forms. Looks at the applicants' qualifications, sex, and region of the country in which they live as factors influencing the writers' choices of salutations. (SED)

A discussion of whether there has been any progress in the discipline of historical linguistics focuses on the theories and recent publications of David Lightfoot and Roger Lass. The author's approaches to language change and language study are examined and compared. (MSE)

First draft of this paper presented at the Language and History in Africa Seminar of the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, England, February 17, 1972; research supported by a grant from the Netherlands Foundation for the Advancement of Tropical Research. (RS)

Examines changes in formulaic speech in China following the revolution and the Cultural Revolution, by studying politeness formulae and Public Criticism Meetings. Data indicate that routine formulae code cultural norms and that formulaic inventory changes result from the need to code new social facts. (JL)

Earlier draft of this paper prepared with the fellowship support of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and a grant from the National Science Foundation, and distributed as Working Paper No. 39, Language-Behavior Research Laboratory (March 1971). (VM)

A study of 51 speakers in rural Illinois showed fronting and raising of (aw) to be considerably more advanced among countryside dwellers than among town residents. Discusses some of the social and economic changes contributing to this phonological shift. (EKN)

The vocative use of the Chinese term of address "tongzhi" ("comrade"), is analyzed. It was found that in its unmarked form it is a neutral term, but marked, its use becomes a negotiation to change the social distance between speaker and addressee, possibly explaining how certain such structures evolve and are maintained. (MSE)

Analysis of phonological data from two Athapaskan languages demonstrated that underlying the apparent degeneration of their phonological systems was an orderly progression which could be viewed as a retarded process of language acquisition, indicating that dying languages mirror the successive stages of ontogenesis. (35 references) (Author/CB)

Outlines history of Spanish colonial policies toward Southern Peruvian Quechua and points out those issues under debate concerning the indigenous languages. The central issue of the "Andean language debate" continues to be whether or not the Quechua have a right to exist as a separate community. (SL)

Changing Chinese address norms are discussed, including the term "tongzhi" ("comrade") and preferred use of official titles by some Chinese officials; use of traditional terms for "Mr.", "Mrs.", and "Miss"; second singular pronouns of "ni" and "nin"; address of women; and some…