The spider's web is presented as a model for Indigenous education and community transformation, grounded in Okanagan philosophy. Children are at the center and benefit from the influence of extended family and community. The model's relevance for language revitalization, cultural maintenance, and educational planning and assessment is discussed.…

Presents findings from a sociolinguistic study of the language use and language attitudes of Hispanic families in a small community in upstate New York. Sought to identify and describe the familial linguistic patterns that are leading to an emerging population of US-born Spanish speakers by examining the factors that are related to Spanish…

Investigated the relevance of emotional and familial factors to language maintenance in immigrant families. Information on the family relations of 40 children from Chinese-speaking immigrant families in Sydney, Australia. Analysis revealed that children likely to use their parents' mother tongue were those who perceived their family to be more…

Outlines a mechanism for action in language preservation and renewal, preventing extinction of Canada's aboriginal languages. Proposes the Aboriginal Languages Foundation as part of a national strategy whereby the community retains control over language renewal programs with funding and resources from the Canadian government. Contains 37…

Australia has a language paradox: great richness and great poverty of language resources. Despite its many cultures and immigrant groups, Australia emphasizes English-language assimilation and thereby endangers its chances for durable multilingualism. (MSE)

A discussion of Occitan, a Romance language spoken in a large portion of France, looks at the history; irregular characteristics; orthographic and morphophonemic variations across dialects; and present status, which is in danger of becoming extinct because of neglect, of the language. (MSE)

Analysis of phonological data from two Athapaskan languages demonstrated that underlying the apparent degeneration of their phonological systems was an orderly progression which could be viewed as a retarded process of language acquisition, indicating that dying languages mirror the successive stages of ontogenesis. (35 references) (Author/CB)

Suggests that Haitian Creole is subject to decreolization, characterized by movement toward French forms. Linguistic conflict and ambivalence on the part of both the bilingual elite and monolingual creole-speaking masses are held responsible. Opposing trends in language standardization and their implications for education are discussed.…

Factors affecting the survival or decline of French in Zaire are examined, including its social, cultural, and political status, the history of other European languages established in Africa, and the influences of intercultural needs and ethnic identity on the continued use of French. (Author/MSE)

Emphasizes the importance of such language program evaluation aspects as cultural preservation, funding, and language revitalization through a case example of a Canadian program teaching Saskatchewan Indian languages. (CB)

Language shift and language loss were studied in three generations of a Dutch immigrant family. Findings from an analysis of letters, interviews, a domain questionnaire, and editing and correction tests suggest increases in language shift with each generation although the degree of loss was rather slow in the first and second generation. (Contains…

This article discusses the attitude of the second generation Dutch in Australia to language maintenance. A profile of the group's language activities is given, and factors related to language maintenance attitudes and the use of Dutch are examined. (16 references) (VWL)

Defines and discusses the concept of small languages. Topics addressed include political status; official status (e.g., as a national language); distinctiveness; robustness or the degree of feasibility; social function; education to support the language; functions of literacy; and appropriate technology for use with particular languages. (12…

Traces native language usage among three generations of a Lakota family, explaining one woman's decision not to teach her children Lakota to protect them from abuse at a boarding school and her descendants' efforts to learn and preserve their language. Offers a Lakota studies and language instructor's perspective on his students' hunger for their…

Discusses globalization and diversification within four language issues for adult literacy: (1) the spread of a small number of world languages, (2) development of the varieties of language, (3) choice of language for education and official life, and (4) disappearing languages. (JP)