Three areas of diversity in Spanish and Portuguese studies - the status of the Spanish language in the U.S., teacher training and out-of- school learning - are examined, and recommendations are made for safeguarding the interests of the diversity and unity of the profession. (KM)

Examines the resemblances - morphological, syntactic, lexical and phonological - among North American French dialects today in order to determine the extent to which these represent a common source. (PMP)

The author sketches the history and geographic area of the dialect; the extent of its instruction, with specific figures and a survey of attitudes; the importance of dialect literature; and the aspirations of various cultural groups. (Text is in French.) (MSE)

It is argued that findings and techniques from both sociolinguistics and theoretical geography can aid in improving descriptions of geographical variation in language. Social and spatial characteristics of language change may thereby be better explained. (CK)

A study investigated dialect change in a southern Netherlands city, where the dialect spoken is distant from Dutch in phonology, morphology, and lexicon. The dialect is commonly spoken in the city of Maastricht, and is not restricted to one social class. Subjects were 64 native inhabitants of Maastricht from three generations: older (over 55…

English-as-second-language instructors should take into account the importance of context for the meaning of language and address the varieties of English that learners will encounter in their daily lives. The principal elements of language variation and their implications for learners are described for the benefit of second language teachers.…

Sociolinguistic patterns of India are discussed. (LG)

A description and analysis of the various functions of black language as an integral part of the collective experience and identity of American blacks. (EH)

The research cited suggests separate language materials are not needed for college level black and white students. (JH)

This is a collection of 60 essays on dialectology written in the period from 1942 to 1979. The essays fall into the categories of theoretical, applied, and critical dialectology. Some of the more recent titles include: "System and Variety in American English,""Dialect Differences and Social Differences in an Urban…

One characteristic of Japanese pitch accent is that there is the so-called "flat" accent, which has no fall or nucleus. This type of accent exists not only in Standard Japanese but in many dialects, including Kyoto. But the flat types are different in the Tokyo and Kyoto dialects. In the Tokyo dialect, the first syllable always has a low…

The topic of black dialect, a timely concern in education and society, should include an understanding of the relationship between language and culture and an understanding of the differences within ethnic and environmental influences contributing to linguistic diversity. Characteristics in black dialect which reflect its descent from African…

In order to determine the attitudes of sixth-grade children toward literary characters who are represented as speaking regional dialects of American English, 96 students (all Caucasian) were randomly placed into one of eight groups, each of which either heard or read two literary excerpts--one in nonstandard English and one as rewritten in…

This document brings together three papers dealing with the teaching of standard English to speakers of substandard varieties of the language, as well as of English-based pidgins or creoles. The first two papers are by linguists. The essay "Foreign Language Teaching Methods in Quasi-Foreign Language Situations" by William A. Stewart is intended to…