The need to teach students speaking skills in Spanish, and to choose among the many standard dialects spoken in the Hispanic world (as well as literary and colloquial speech), presents a challenge to the Spanish teacher. Some phonetic considerations helpful in solving these problems are offered. (CHK)

Discusses the problem of defining linguistic areas, with specific reference to the various areas of Spanish in Latin America. (Text is in Spanish) (CLK)

Discusses the past and future development of languages and the relationship of this development to cultural factors. (Text is in Spanish.) (CLK)

This book integrates a historical and linguistic exploration of world English, documenting the emergence of the language as a contested site of linguistic encounters. It revises the understanding of English spread during the colonial period, emphasizing the agency of non-mother-tongue English speakers. The book contends that English owes its…

Describes the Queensland project, "Study Talk," concerned with the study of oral language, with special consideration given to the exploration and study of the uses and varieties of talk. (HOD)

Various training strategies are suggested to modify teachers' attitudes and to alter inappropriate behavior. The article suggests that university preparation for teachers should include a component which deals with culture and language variation, as well as the existing supervised student teaching experience. (NQ)

Examines the language situation of 58 Mexican American high school students, their attitudes toward language varieties, and their associated values. Discusses relationships among language background (family language, language dominance), language attitudes (language preference, accentedness, and attitude toward bilingualism), and cultural…

Examines methods of teaching the stylistics of language usage, emphasizing revision in the composing process. (RL)

Describes the linguistic backgrounds of Sweden and Finland and presents a few examples of recent sociolinguistic research in these countries. (CFM)

Suggests that a sociopragmatic approach to the study of forms of address may shed new light on address behavior in general and on the use of forms of address in French and Dutch in particular. "Form of address" is used to encompass not only second-person singular pronouns, but also other devices that can be employed to make reference to…

Examines a case of dialectal variation in a subpart of the tense-modality aspect system of Indian English. Focuses on functions associated with an existing form: the use of the pluperfect "had" + V-"ed" construction. Contrasts this usage with that of British and American English. (Author/VWL)

Gives a short overview of the historical development of various aspects of the linguistic situation in Belgium. Particular focus is on knowledge and use of the varieties of French and Dutch in Brussels and on the educational system. Attention is also given to attitudes toward the language and language varieties and to aspects of language contact.…

Three categories of topic referents (nominal, pronominal, and periphrastic) are identified in 27 Belizean texts and 12 American texts, and the effects of referent choice of two variables (topic number and stylistic/lectal context) are investigated. One finding is that Belizean lects are strikingly similar to spontaneous styles of American English.…

Argues that, although academic study of English development English concentrates on the norm, definitions of the norm are not clear, and many cited examples betray a lack of knowledge of historical aspects of English. It is suggested that emphasis on communication in teaching practice may lead to acceptance of nonnormative language use. (JL)

Discusses the orthography of an unstandardized written language variety, the English-lexicon Creole used in Britain by writers of Caribbean heritage. Argues that while the spelling of Creole is highly variable, writers are choosing conventions that emphasize the differences between Creole and standard English. (Author/JL)