Controversies surrounding approaches to language revival could be reduced if a clear distinction were recognized between two possible goals of language revival: the process of restoration and the process of transformation. A survey of methods adopted by various revivalists supports the conclusion that achieving transformation is more likely.…

In attempting to "globalize" environmental education, the 30-volume series produced by UNESCO's International Environmental Education Programme has constrained discussion of environmental problems and solutions within the worldview of white, Eurocentric, English-speaking males from developed nations. The voices and perspectives of…

Discusses a technique for identifying the function of minimal responses in conversation. Describes a study in which subjects listened to one of two versions of a recorded conversation: one complete, one with minimal responses deleted. Concludes that minimal responses serve to denote agreement and suggest informality. (DK)

Argues that, when considering subject pronouns, one must examine the input to the learner. English transcripts by two Spanish native speakers demonstrate that the pattern of learner-language pronoun use closely parallels native speaker use. Data suggest that considering principles of Universal Grammar devoid of contest is insufficient for…

Sixteen African Americans affiliated with a university reported on their experiential, attitudinal, and descriptive responses to Black English Vernacular (BEV). Three issues emerged: BEV as a label, the possibility that BEV was socially constructed, and the perception that BEV is a limited linguistic system. Interview questions are appended. (44…

The technical complexity of the language of academic journals is discussed in terms of graduate students' needs for information, especially in developing countries. An examination of problems in two articles in "Language" and one in "American Anthropologist" points out the nature of the difficulties and some of the solutions. (Author/LB)

Investigated the use of the pronoun "it" by a nine-year-old girl as a concept variable conveying the message that she had something in mind that she believed the listener understood. (MDH)

Presents four responses from practicing teachers and four responses from high school students to the question, "What principles do you apply in selecting, discussing, and recommending contemporary literature that has sexually explicit language or subject matter?" (HB)

Trade-off effects among linguistic components were compared in 30 elementary school children with deficits in both oral and written language, deficits only in written language, or normal language development. Analysis of syntax, phonology, and fluency indicated group effects, with trade-offs between some linguistic measures and positive…

Tests the hypothesis that the generic "he" contains male bias. Results suggest that generic "he" evokes disproportionately male images, as compared with plural "they," which appears to function more generically. Argues that this bias may reinforce sexist thought and behavior. (CJS)

Consideration of the use of Panjabi by British Black adolescents and White adolescents in a mixed peer group, analyzing contexts of Panjabi occurrence and crossing, showed that Panjabi was important in managing the divisions that cross-cut youth community and in extending horizons beyond the confines of local neighborhood experience. (31…

Presents an overview (from a broad cultural and historical perspective) of the effect of two languages and cultures on the creation of literature, the cosmopolitanism, and bilingualism of writers, and the effects of the related phenomena of biculturalism and diglossia on the production of literary texts. Shows that bilingualism has been a feature…

Reviews caregiver communication behaviors that have been described in the child language literature as facilitating language learning and use. Strategies for engaging and sustaining interactions with young children are presented. Accompanying scripts provide examples of early childhood educators interacting with children during play and daily…

Examines the role of pragmatics in developing communicative competence in English for special purposes (ESP), noting that (1) knowledge of the cultural conventions of different professional discourse communities provides for effective in-group communication and (2) alongside this knowledge, students of ESP should be taught how to use it in the…

Interviews with "Shin Nisei," new second-generation Japanese, university students reveal how strongly motivation influences persistence in taking Japanese courses and the intensity with which these students use Japanese outside the classroom. The discussion stresses problems facing Shin Nisei students in traditional college foreign-language…