A discussion of the education of a population that is increasingly diverse, linguistically and culturally, this paper argues that non-mainstream students do not perform as well in school as predominantly white, middle-class, English-speaking mainstream students because they are not equitably served by the educational system. Some complexities of…

Recent studies of American Indian dialects of English have focused on efforts to determine whether the sources of such dialectal variation lie in interference from the native languages or in developmental errors in the acquisition of English. The implication of both assumptions is that educational intervention and the passage of time can eradicate…

The seminar reported on was convened to discuss the findings of a study by Calvin J. Veltman on minority language usage past the first immigrant generation. Veltman discovered that minority languages in the United States are following the patterns of previous immigrant languages: while first generation newcomers speak their native language and…

A previous study indicated localities in which students speak French most of the time, localities where they speak it only sometimes, and one locality between the two extremes. The study reported here was of students in three localities belonging to the groups just mentioned, namely, Cornwall, Pembroke, and North Bay. It revealed that students who…

An analysis of the social, educational and political factors in bilingual education and French language maintenance in Ontario. After the fourth grade, most Francophone children tend to speak English. Encouragement to use French must come from the social domain, beyond the school and the home. (Text is in French.) (AMH)

Describes a setting in which some people become bilingual and others do not, in which some languages are learned as second languages and others are not, and in which bilingualism is sometimes a creature of formal education and sometimes is not. (Author/HP)

Study of the second language retention of students who completed a seven-year elementary Spanish immersion program found that some language loss occurred soon after program termination, with greatest loss in productive skills. Findings suggested that attitudinal predisposition influenced the extent to which students retained their Spanish skills.…

Describes the high Italian speech variety commonly used by Italian Americans, based on a study of 39 Italian Americans that included interviews and questionnaires. Dialectal characteristics, convergence with English, and language maintenance and language shift in the Italian-American community are discussed. (CB)

Discusses the status of bilingual education in Slovene and German in Southern Austria and describes in detail the curriculum allocation of languages to subjects. The study analyzes the objectives of bilingual education and the sociocultural factors which will determine the future of bilingual schools. (Author/SED)

Discusses and evaluates currently accepted theories of ethnic or linguistic identity and maintenance. Lists factors which have a bearing on the long-term fate of a minority. Analyzes the data for the European linguistic minorities using the data matrix reported by Erik Allardt in his monograph on ethnic revival in Western European societies. (SED)

The National Council for Mother Tongue Teaching presents its response to the Swann Report, with particular reference to the report's discussion of the role of ethnic minority languages in Great Britain. The Council concludes that the thinking of the Swann Report is far behind that of current research and educational trends. (SED)

Investigates the status of Arabic in the U.S. in four institutional areas: (1) the periodical press; (2) radio and television; (3) ethnic community schools; and (4) places of worship. Findings based on responses to questionnaires distributed in 1981 and 1982 indicate conscious efforts to maintain Arabic in these communities. (SED)

Discusses the growing use of ethnic mother tongues as languages of instruction in Canadian public classrooms. Reviews the development of private ethnic schools and then examines the role, varieties, and motivations of public bilingual programs. Concludes that, despite the growth of public bilingual education, private ethnic schools will not become…

This book presents a range of views on the concept of the native speaker, considering psycholinguistic, linguistic, and sociolinguistic aspects. It examines the Critical Period Hypothesis; the role of the standard language; the kinds of knowledge (metalinguistic, discriminating, communicational, and skills) that the native speaker possesses; and…

Although the New Zealand government is spending millions of dollars to teach the Maori language in preschool language nests and immersion primary schools, its language policies are unlikely to succeed because they do not address the perceived low social status of the language. A marketing paradigm outlines how language can be viewed as a product…