Although Kashmiri is the first language of 3-4 million people, it has many features of a minority language. This article reports research suggesting that teachers in Kashmir have a poor opinion of the language, question whether it is really a language, and wonder whether it is worth teaching. (Contains 28 references.) (JL)

This article examines some phonological explanations for pronunciation difficulties experienced by learners of English and Chinese. Rules of accommodation, rules of distribution and alternation, voicing, and morphophonemic rules are examined. (Contains six references.) (JL)

Refutes the concept that a single and universal tongue is ideal and the rich diversity of languages is an unfortunate state of affairs, pointing out that the mastery of several languages enhances cultural understanding and experience. (eight references) (CB)

This study concerns the urban vernacular "Leewarders" and the two other languages, Dutch and Frisian, spoken in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. The study was carried out by interviews, a survey, a variant of the matched-guise experiment, and participant observation. (JL)

Sociopolitical change occurs in conjunction with sustaining local literacies. In hierarchically organized societies, ruling elite perceive local literacies as threat to existing power structure. The Ambedkar Nagar project in India, a literacy drive that adopted a campaign-based approach (CBA), is described. A CBA uses mass participation, voluntary…

Educators must realize that multiculturalism and multilingualism are not merely fashionable terms but everyday classroom realities. Teachers cannot always revamp curricula, but they can challenge their cultural assumptions and limited world views and seek ways to connect to other cultures. Multicultural education, cultural learning, and…

Analysis of several types of faulty language selection in polyglots revealed that production errors were not a result of limited vocabulary or language deficiency but rather to interlingual code-switching based on the polyglot's differentiations between dominant language, foreign language, and weak language. (20 references) (Author/CB)

Problems and issues related to the implementation of a bilingual policy are examined in Singapore, a multiracial, multicultural, and multilingual nation. Bilingualism in Singapore involves a major transformation since English is "claimed," and Singapore bilinguals are increasingly English-knowing bilinguals. Interrelationships between…

European Community initiatives in language management include educational models involved in promoting mastery of at least three languages. The Luxembourg model outlines a trilingual program for the whole school population; the European School model, a complex multilingual program; and the Foyer Project, plans for immigrant minorities to move into…

Using Yaounde, Cameroon as an example, this study analyzes the enduring stumbling blocks lying in the path of linguistic policies and in the setting of social, educational, and political agendas acceptable to all in changing multilingual, multicultural societies. Cameroon is an officially bilingual country carved out of an aggregate of independent…

Addresses the problem of educating minorities when the political borders of European nation-states fail to coincide with ethno-linguistic realities. Suggests two solutions to problems of higher education for ethno-linguistic minorities: (1) multilingual universities, and (2) regional cooperation in higher education in border areas. (Author/DB)

The study of planned languages and the conscious creation of languages are frequently characterized by strident arguments for or against real or putative objectives of the movements linked to these languages. The brochures reviewed in this article are taken from various documentation series that provide relevant facts and analyses. (Author/VWL)

Examines implementation of various restructuring designs in 13 elementary schools in the culturally, linguistically, and ethnically diverse Sunland County Public School District (Florida). Preliminary findings indicate a variance in implementation across sites and suggest demographic and numeric shifts in student population, lack of teacher…

Addresses the conflicting pressures facing plurilingual societies, focusing on (1) geopolitical changes such as language decline, international languages, and the pressures of globalization and the dominance of English; (2) access to or surrender of power; and (3) the choice of which language policy to pursue. (CMK)

Investigates how classroom communicative competence was defined in a multilingual preschool classroom. Sociolinguistic analysis of a conflict event, and the larger classroom context, reveals norms and values influencing the behaviors of the English-speaking teacher, bilingual teaching assistant, and Chinese-speaking preschoolers. Identifies…