Data indicate that the ability of Hungarian scientists to be heard beyond Hungary can be differentiated on the basis of their relative English proficiency. Additional data show that 40 years of required Russian study in Hungarian schools has not disseminated Russian through the Hungarian population. Implications for developing nations seeking…

A response to an argument that Canadian language policy prevents the self-defense of minority languages through exclusive territorial control (LaPonce, 1984) addresses the relative neglect of research concerning language and territoriality in the European context and contrasts the contemporary multilingual situations in Spain and Switzerland to…

Suggests actions for a long-term international program to preserve cultural diversity and multilingualism in the global information society, including: use of major languages for scientific communication; development of retrieval systems in the different national languages; development of computer translation systems; and teaching of the major…

Discusses the official system of trilingualism and the dual-language education system in Vanuatu, suggesting that these place enormous strains on Vanuatu's infrastructure. Appropriate multilingual development for the future requires that fundamental issues of constitutional interpretation and definition of language policy be resolved. (Author/VWL)

Examines statistics on minority illiteracy from the 1990 Chinese national census across age groups in relation to China's changing language policy among three types of minority communities: those with writing systems of historically broad usage; those with historically limited usage; and those without functional writing systems. (Author/VWL)

Discusses an investigation of reported attitudes on language use in Cyprus. Identifies boundaries of social division and provides reasons for the coexistence of multiple linguistic codes. Accounts for the use of national and international codes (Greek-Cypriot dialect, Standard Modern Greek, English), their market value, and their location within…

Investigates whether knowing more than one language enhances the learning of lexical items and syntactic constructions in other languages. Multilingual (M1) students outperformed unilinguals in both types of acquisition, suggesting that M1s' heightened metalinguistic skills, enhanced lexical knowledge, and a less conservative learning procedure…

Explores the reciprocity of beliefs and literacy practices between two schools and their respective communities in London's East End. Shows older siblings reflecting the values of both community and school as they blended practices from each domain in their play with their younger brothers and sisters. (SG)

Acquisition of multiple identities to negotiate new forms of social participation and the concomitant attendant multiple languages and multiple cultures is "sine qua non" to success in English language learning classrooms. This study therefore, investigates how middle school Hispanic students reconceptualize their identities to negotiate…

The authors argue that in classrooms with students from linguistically diverse backgrounds, instruction should explicitly activate prior knowledge. Teachers have the opportunity to create environments that affirm the identities of English language learners, thereby increasing the confidence with which these students engage in language and literacy…

Using ICT with young children aged three to six does not merely consist in having computers in the classrooms. It implies an innovative approach to early childhood education and basic ideas and changes in educational strategies which open up new horizons to educators. The paper will describe the project MMM (Mini Web, Multilingual, Maxi Learning).…

Postmodern globalization requires that students strive for competence in a repertoire of English varieties as they shuttle between multilingual communities. From this perspective, the current debate becomes irrelevant regarding whether local varieties or dominant varieties (British/American) be used in international proficiency tests. Because it…

Scholars around the world are under increasing pressure to publish their research in the medium of English. However, little empirical research has explored how the global premium of English influences the academic text production of scholars working outside of English-speaking countries. This article draws on a longitudinal text-oriented…

Linguistic landscape (LL) refers to linguistic objects that mark the public space. This paper compares patterns of LL in a variety of homogeneous and mixed Israeli cities, and in East Jerusalem. The groups studied were Israeli Jews, Palestinian Israelis and non-Israeli Palestinians from East Jerusalem, of whom most are not Israeli citizens. The…

This monograph provides an overview of the language situation in Italy, within the framework of language policy and language planning. It presents an account of multilingualism, linguistic diversity, social variation, educational issues and phenomena of language contact both within and outside Italy. The four main threads are (1) the current…