Analysis of survey responses regarding Ghanaians' preferred language policy indicated that a "3+1" language policy, involving individuals' learning of a national, international, and local language, constitutes an equilibrium outcome, although some minority-language groups would need to learn a fourth language if their vernacular is…

Discusses the independent Namibian government's goal of making English (currently the mother tongue of less than 5 percent of the population) the official language to unite various race and speech communities into one national entity, and proposes a systems approach to enable language planners to see the relationships between plans and other…

Although language policy in New Zealand is emerging piecemeal, without any clear central planning and without much of the data needed for sound policy development, political pressure from indigenous, community, and other language interest groups is interacting positively with government values and may still lead to a coherent national policy. (39…

The hispanicization of Mayan immigrants in Los Angeles is explored, focusing on the patterns of usage of Mayan, Spanish, and English among men, women, and children, and the trend toward Spanish-English bilingualism. (Author/MSE)

Examines creativity in Indian English and Singapore English. Highlights the differences between linguistic creativity and literary creativity in the two varieties and suggests that language planning policy and practice in the two countries are responsible for the differences found there. Implications for language planning are explored. (27…

The political reforms taking place in South Africa are reflected in new thoughts on possible future language policies for the country. The background to the present debate is traced, and some of the most important suggestions for a language policy for a postapartheid South Africa are discussed. (78 references) (VWL)

Focuses on the communicative approach in plurilingual settings and analyzes data from Indian English in the light of the speaker/listener, the task, the context, and other negotiating factors that regulate speech in everyday life. Identifies the complementarity of grassroots English with other Indian languages and its emergence as one of the vital…

Analyzes the evolution of a language plan in Brunei Darussalam. It shows a conscious effort to influence the choice of language used in the country is a fairly recent phenomenon, determined mainly be commercial considerations. The article examines definitions, variables, and universals of language planning introduced by Tollefson and Phillipson.…

Presents an experiment supporting the thesis that visual languages are well-suited for computer programmers whose native languages are not English, analyzing the particular problems of Arabic speakers in comprehending Pascal program structures. A visual programming environment is presented in which all syntactic and nearly all semantic information…

Discusses the failed attempt to cultivate Oriya as a modern language and to make it the official language of Orissa, India, in the 19th century. The reasons for this failure are a lack of language consciousness among the Oriyas, the pro-English attitude of the Oriya bureaucrats, and an irresolute corpus planning exercise. (eight references)…

Warns the European community of the dangers of accepting English as the international language and urges the adoption of Esperanto, a neutral language without its own cultural tradition, as the international lingua franca. (CFM)

Discusses, with reference to the covert policy goals of the American refugee program, the failure of U.S. Refugee Training Centers to facilitate Southeast Asian refugees' self-sufficiency after resettlement in the United States. Five characteristics of covert policy show how such covert policies have ensured their programs' ineffectiveness.…

Argues that problems with English as second language programs in Arab world stem from failures in policy planning, rather than from failures of implementation of these plans. Some crucial considerations previously ignored are sociolinguistic setting of the foreign (English) language and fit between department goals, programs, and curricula on the…

It is noted that Belgium, particularly Flemish Belgium, is opposed to European unification because of the likelihood of even greater intrusion of foreign influence into the country, especially in Brussels, and an already common negative attitude toward the spread of English. (12 references)

Examines South Africa's 11-official-languages policy, with a focus on the current debate on mother tongue education versus education in a foreign language--English or Afrikaans. It is argued that for the new education policy to achieve its intended objective--to promote mother tongue education--then mother tongue education must be cleansed of the…