Reports on two studies of minority language children enrolled in a Toronto, Canada, bilingual (English-French) program. The study indicated that focus on the maintenance and development of students' heritage language with specific reference to literacy learning enhanced the learning of French, a third language for the minority language students.…

Examination of a new type of speech developing among students at the University of Yaounde reveals a highly coded usage that cuts outsiders off through the use of highly metaphorical, playful, and hermetic words that come from various sources and are reassigned different or refreshing meanings and the use of colorful expressions, word-blending,…

Comments on the use of mother-tongues in written communication and basic education, using literacy programs in multilinguistic contexts as an example of the plurality of literacies. Democracy and citizenship, and the social demand for communication competence in postindustrial societies, are discussed with respect to the continuity dimension of…

Describes a six-month retraining program developed for Israel's Russian-speaking immigrant librarians and information specialists that includes Hebrew language, Jewish and Israeli history, English, and library automation. Differences from the Soviet library system are discussed, including censorship and public libraries, and characteristics of the…

Describes a university's use of a multilingual cable network as a foreign language instructional resource by incorporating series, news programs, and commercials into foreign language courses. (CB)

Assesses efforts to standardize the Malian languages, including the standardization of orthography and the creation of terminology in the Mandingo-Peul Project. Points to conflicts between technical and political considerations, and between local tendencies and balances among languages and the need to respect the ecolinguistics of the country.…

Examines Australia's reverse language shift (RLS), presenting eight stages of RLS for immigrant-derived and Aboriginal languages and noting the severity of intergenerational dislocation. Aboriginal languages are dying quickly, and language shift continues in immigrant-based community languages. Steps to encourage second language learning are often…

Examines the relative contributions of the school and the family to the bilingual development of francophone minority group students in western Canada. The implications for the survival of the French language in western Canada are discussed. (74 references) (GLR)

Provides a historical overview of attitudes toward immigrants and their languages in the United States, gives an update of the Official English movement, and analyzes recent articles in business-related journals. Discussion centers on how businesses have adapted to a multilingual workforce and on the connection between the Official English…

Focuses on the communicative approach in plurilingual settings and analyzes data from Indian English in the light of the speaker/listener, the task, the context, and other negotiating factors that regulate speech in everyday life. Identifies the complementarity of grassroots English with other Indian languages and its emergence as one of the vital…

Since most of the world's population is bilingual, why should the most "advanced" Western nations be so resolutely monolingual? European schools should teach the first foreign language at primary level, become bilingual institutions, teach all children at least two languages, increase the number of languages taught, shorten instructional…

English can be considered the number one global language. Though there are positive aspects to having a global language, it can lead to arrogance and complacency among native English-speakers and a sense of grievance and inferiority in other language groups. The paper examines reasons for the spread of English worldwide, discussing the importance…

Examines the need for accountability in language planning in multilingual contexts in the Southern Countries. Provides a brief overview of language diversity in the South, considers how world trends of increasing democratization and strengthening of minority rights are generating calls for greater accountability and language rights, and looks at…

States that despite the country's relatively small population and the globalization pressures from the international community, the Icelandic language and culture have remained strong. Reports that Iceland's language policy comes from the government's and official institutions' commitment to the people of Iceland, who are determined to preserve…

Explores the notion of diglossia in the three main languages of Fiji--Bauab Fijian, Shudh Hindi, and English. Discussion focuses on situating the languages both historically and socially in a multilingual context. (Author/VWL)