Reviews research studies that raise serious questions about phonological neutralization, that is, the merger of a contrast in certain contexts. Some findings cast doubt on the very existence of neutralization and the correctness of the theoretical principles that make assumptions based on neutralization. Reanalyzes neutralization in light of these…

The status of French in Morocco is ambiguous: it is neither an official language nor a foreign language, and it would benefit greatly from an official definition that would allow a variety of language conflicts to be resolved. (MSE)

This article suggests that linguistic prescriptivism be used in the classroom as a means of eliminating discrimination. Since American society is predominantly monolingual, students must learn to use standard American English to gain access to social, political, and economic life in society. (DF)

This article, reporting a study of teacher attitudes toward the linguistic situation in their Caribbean communities, suggests that the social values attached to varieties of English in Creole Communities must be regarded as substantially different from those which obtain in more usual dialect situations. (POP)

A study of the acquisition of interrogative forms in children of high socioeconomic status reveals that utterances belong more to the colloquial than to the standard range. It is concluded that disadvantaged children would show similar usage, leading to the suggestion that teachers teach language as they use it. (Text is in French.) (CDSH/CLK)

This article discusses the influence of the Taino language on the Spanish of Puerto Rico. (Text is in Spanish.) (CLK)

This article discusses the use of the expression "a nivel de" (level with) in Colombian Spanish. (Text is in Spanish.) (CLK)

Discusses neologisms in Spanish. (Text is in Spanish.) (CLK)

This article explores the notion that the assumptions on which the process of linguistic analysis is based relate to linguistic universals. The kinds of universals that underlie the process and their role in it are examined. (CLK)

Differences of language often mirror differences in values and worldviews. An examination of the languages of business and education shows that if people really want to run an educational institution "like a business," there is a serious semantic problem. This book illustrates the problems that arise when familiar words have different connotations…

Despite three decades of research on African American English (AAE), educational workshops aimed at improving the academic achievement, particularly the literacy achievement, of African American students still emphasize differences between Standard English and African American English. One result is that teachers may overlook the linguistic…

Summarizes historical developments in the sociology of language and education. Urges teachers to create alternative patterns of interaction in their classrooms so that they might better promote learning, language development, and social relations among teachers and students. (RL)

Argues that the articulation of school language policies deserves careful attention as they implicitly formulate a hidden curriculum with reference to the relation between education and society. Discusses issues in context of policy developed in an urban high school in Ontario. Considers cultural values, social convention, and social control.…

Notes that the general public has developed an awareness of sexist language usage and has begun to make changes in its use of the word "man," and traces parallel changes that are gradually being made in the English pronoun system. (GT)

Three teachers debate the value of a statement on student language usage that was adopted by the Conference on College Composition and Communication and the National Council of Teachers of English. (RL)