Notes that studies of the social contexts of literacy learning in school suggest that literacy development cannot be understood apart from the context in which it occurs. Argues that some learning environments provide differential access to literacy activities in which participating in meaningful discourse is both process and product. Concludes…

Interviewed 38 adults with deafness and little schooling in Okinawa concerning their social and language environment. Many of the individuals used an indigenous gestural system shared with hearing people that enabled them to participate in the hearing community. Most had only limited contact with the deaf community and Japanese Sign Language.…

Discusses the importance of language awareness in translation, particularly in the area of translator competence, focusing on the many areas of translation where awareness is a relevant concept and how it has been incorporated into the Priorities-Restrictions (PR) model of translation. (15 references) (MDM)

Examines the use of dictionaries by second-language students and teachers, focusing on the problems that students have in using bilingual dictionaries, such as finding culture-specific expressions, technical language, abbreviations, idioms, and proper names. Recommendations are offered for teachers to help students overcome these difficulties. (14…

Transcribed the speech of 3 African-American mothers and their 19- to 27-month-old children over a 9-month period. Compared to the language of Euro-American children described in earlier studies, the language of these African-American children developed similarly in length and semantic-syntactic relations but included more talk about needs, wants,…

Presents results of a survey examining women's reported styles of interpersonal communication, including use of tentative language, interruption, and collaboration. Reveals that, in the technical/scientific field, women's and men's perceptions of their own communication seem to be moving toward and androgenous language pattern. (SR)

Discusses recent development related to Romano-Kalo (Spanish Romany), the language of the Gypsy population of Spain, including periodicals and publications available from the Romany Union and other organizations. Common Romany expressions that have entered the English language are reviewed. (six references) (MDM)

Discusses the existence of anglicisms in German as a problem for the practice and teaching of translation, in which attention must be paid to the status of loans in the German linguistic and social system. Offers an approach to the translation of transparent anglicisms and proposes a method of translation. (SR)

Introduces this thematic issue on the construction of discourse by non-native speakers, reviewing the topics, methodology, and results of the six papers that follow. (contains three references) (MDM)

Defines "Estuary English," a fast-growing accent of British English that is spreading across England. Discusses its usage in the British business community; its acceptability and future; and its implications for business communicators, teachers, and consultants. (SR)

The stages in the development of a policy concerning the third person singular pronoun in Norwegian is sketched out and new information is presented about usage in generic and sex-indefinite contexts. (14 references) (JL)

Sociolinguistic research on linguistic change, i.e., the use of high rising terminal contours (HRTs) in declarative clauses, is reported based on interviews from 75 inhabitants of Porirua. Results show that linguistic change is in progress, with HRTs favored by young Maori and young Pakeha women. Results are explained in terms of HRTs as positive…

Describes several successful lessons that provide students with new awareness of the English language. Includes lessons focusing on language change, onomatopoeia, slang, word origin, dialect, and language functions. (MM)

Results of a sociolinguistic analysis of bilingualism indicated a statistically significant difference in the amounts of English and Spanish used in two contexts: formal and familial settings. The data suggest that Spanish-English bilingualism is at a crossroads: youths are bilingual by grade 12 but appear to be shifting toward English as their…

Referee design offers a rich field for social and cultural analysis. The preponderance of foreign-dialect advertisements in New Zealand (NZ) broadcasting is discussed and concluded to reflect a small nation's focus on the prestige of other culturally powerful nations and the comparative lack of NZ linguistic diversity. (24 references) (LB)