The modern world's understanding of American university press has long been shaped by university-press books. American university-press books are good international advertisements for the universities whose logos grace their spines. The growth of transnational scholarship and the expansion of digital communications networks are converging in ways…

As part of the "Bridging the Language Gap" project undertaken with 86 State and Catholic schools across Queensland, the language competencies of Indigenous students have been found to be "invisible" in several key and self-reinforcing ways in school system data. A proliferation of inaccurate, illogical and incomplete data…

Every multicultural society has a language of power--the language spoken by members of the dominant group or groups--as well as languages that lack power because they are spoken by members of the subordinate group or groups. The ascension of one language over another has long been a source of controversy in Hawai'i, as it has in many parts of the…

This paper discusses a case study of a small cluster of 10- and 11-year-old multilingual children, all first- or second-generation Canadians living in suburban Toronto, who collaboratively wrote an elaborate adventure book in English as a Grade 5 enrichment activity. We explore the language worlds of these gifted young writers to trace their…

Three papers were presented at three different conferences from 1990 to 1992: "New Ways of Meaning: A Challenge to Applied Linguistics,""The Act of Meaning," and "Language in a Changing World." Because each paper addressed a different audience, each addresses the topic of meaning and change from a different approach. The first paper summarizes the…

Reviews the history of English and education in the Samoas. Discussion focuses on the social, political, economic, and educational factors that relate to levels of English and native language literacy in the two Samoas, and that help to explain the decline of native language literacy in American Samoa over the past several years. (Author/CB)

The thesis of this article is that, in general, English literacy tests and other statutory sanctions applied in favor of English were originally formulated as an indirect but effective means of achieving discrimination on the basis of race, creed, or color. Many such provisions in the law are anachronistic, having only historical interest today,…

A collection of papers resulting from a research project on the role of language in the life of a Puerto Rican community in New York City focuses on the discourse of English and Spanish speakers, especially conversational interaction, speech events, and narratives. The papers include: "Toward a Social Theory of Language Variability"…

Over 200 news items, journal articles, position papers, and other citations concerning the issue of English as the official language of the United States are included in this bibliography. While information on state and federal legislative efforts is presented, testimony of congressional hearings is kept to a minimum, as are unpublished…

Four common myths or misconceptions in the United States about language are discussed, drawing on historical evidence and contemporary data. These myths are that: (1) the predominance of English and English literacy is threatened; (2) English literacy is the only literacy worth noting; (3) English illiteracy is high because language minorities are…

Chicano English, spoken by many Chicanos and some Anglos, is an ethnic variety of English that serves as a marker of social identity, and it has specific linguistic parameters. It is similar to standard English, and often exists alongside interference English, spoken by Spanish-speakers beginning to learn English. Research supports the argument…

This collection of essays explores the diversity of contemporary English language use, both spoken and written, around the world. The first chapters focus on the use of English within various kinds of interpersonal communication, and later chapters look at artistic and creative products of English speakers and writers, discussing the kinds of…

The text presents an introduction to sociolinguistics for second language teachers, focusing on social dimensions of language likely to be of interest to this group. The first group of chapters addresses the manner in which the larger social and political context affects language broadly: "Language Attitudes, Motivation, and Standards" (Mary…

A discussion of the language and literacy situation in Singapore looks at the role of each of the four official languages (English, Mandarin Chinese, Tamil, and Malay) and at trends and issues in adult and vocational education for labor force development. Usage patterns of each official language, common dialects and varieties and their use, and…