A study of the linguistic interference of nine multilingual immigrants to the Saguenay Peninsula of Quebec province examined three types of interference in their spoken English. They included: (1) interlingual interference from the mother tongue; (2) intralingual intrusion from structures and lexical items from within English in situations and…

A discussion of government language policies involving more than one language looks at two policy issues: the teaching of ethnic languages and the teaching of foreign languages. A primary issue in ethnic language policy is the reconciling of competing claims of different language communities, which often represent extralingual competition and…

Recent developments have occurred which English teachers need to know about to make an accurate assessment of their role in combating the still growing form of nativism created by the English Only movement. First, a breakthrough in national politics has provided a tolerance and an appreciation of multilingualism in the United States. In the…

The noun phrase of the Norwegian dialect of the multilingual village of Skibotn, in northern Norway, is analyzed. Attention is focused on the possible influence of two other languages, Finnish, an imported language, and Sami, the original language of the area, in the development of three different clusters of features characteristic of nominal…

This booklet introduces Canada's Multiculturalism Act which provides for a new government-wide commitment to the principles and policy objectives of multiculturalism. As an essential component of the Canadian identity, multiculturalism has been fundamental to nation building and has allowed Canadians to enjoy the benefits of life in a culturally…

The 'Association Linguistique Franco-Europeenne' analyzed 1600 questionnaires completed by French students to find out the motives for choosing the languages they study versus which languages they would like to study. The results are tabulated. The general conclusion is that multilingualism is beneficial to world peace and should be encouraged.…

The paper draws attention to communication in multilingual states which may be said to exist at three levels: sub-state, state, and inter-state level. Communication at the sub-state level may involve an "in-group" language or a regional one, and hence a multilingual model is required at this level. At the state level, on the other hand,…

The purpose of this survey was to investigate the nature and extent of the problem of second language learning as a factor in national development in countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This document is based on the findings of the survey but includes some information not covered in the survey and represents essentially the reaction of…

The process of national integration does not necessarily require monolingualism. The western, post-Versailles, intellectual heritage prompts contemporary sociologists to assume that cultural and linguistic differences automatically tend toward demands for nation formation and language recognition. Countries like India prove otherwise. Not all…

A discussion of the issue of unilinguism and linguistic pluralism on the international scene. The need for international communication where English is the dominant force and efforts to preserve cultural equality are seen as compelling reasons for promotion of an international language such as Esperanto. (AMH)

Analysis of multilingual acquisition processes among children at the European School of Brussels reveals how both curricular and extra-curricular factors combine to account for these students' high levels of proficiency in three or four languages. Schumann's (1979) Acculturation Model applied to one case study allows examination of how the…

Educators are urged to encourage gifted/talented students to teach themselves foreign languages. This essay discusses the lack of language requirements in schools, linguistic insensitivity or laziness shown by Americans, individuals' linguistic potential, goals of multilingual development, the appropriate time to introduce foreign languages, and…

Describes how triglossia in Nigerian education lies in the complementary distribution of languages by functions, with the languages of home, community, and school corresponding roughly to the affective, conative, and cognitive psychological categories. Provides a triglottic model which describes actual function of language in education in Nigeria.…

Compares heritage (ethnic) language programs with English as a second language programs in Canada. Differences in motivation and attitudes are cited among some ethnic groups who are eager to learn English for everyday communicative purposes, but are not interested in spending much time in heritage language classes. (SL)

Recent work in the field of sociolinguistics is discussed as it relates to problems of national integration in a multilingual society. The implications of such a situation for language teaching programs are also discussed. (RM)