Describes historical and current usage of Indo-Portuguese creoles in the Indian areas of Diu, Daman, and Korlai, examining such extralinguistic forces propelling language transition as social, cultural, developmental, and situational factors, and the nature of lexical and structural borrowing. (48 references) (CB)

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)

Discussion of French language planning focuses on two different roles: official, cherished language of France and international language subject to outside influence. Three areas of concern are discussed: borrowing from English; lexical variation outside France; and influence of computer science on language, particularly the use of spell-checking…

This article outlines a research project conducted in Perpignan in 1988 that sought to discover and describe the varieties of language present in the town, patterns of language use and language attitudes among inhabitants. The research took the form of a questionnaire survey, used with a representative sample of the population. (Contains 10…

A survey of 78 adults and adolescents of Cree ancestry in Fisher River, Manitoba, examined language proficiency, language use, and attitudes about language use in various public and private contexts. Generational differences on several measures suggest that adults were more favorable than teenagers toward Cree language maintenance and vitality.…

Addresses the fate of languages acquired during childhood that have not been used in a long time to find out if they are lost, overridden by other languages acquired later, or maintained despite a lack of use. German subjects were tested for their knowledge of Dutch, which they acquired as a second language during childhood. (Author/VWL)

In northeastern Peru, U.S. mammalogists are tapping the knowledge of the indigenous Matses people to catalog the fauna of the rainforest. One zoologist turned linguist has recruited Matses research assistants; together they are creating a classroom text on mammals in Matses, which will help preserve both local ethnobiological knowledge and the…

Among 42 second-generation Japanese-Canadian young adults who had attended Toronto secondary schools and a Japanese language Saturday school, Japanese oral and reading skills were related to each other and to ethnolinguistic identity and beliefs and interpersonal relationships with Japanese speakers. Japanese reading scores positively predicted…

Traces the Bilingual Education Act's (BEA) evolution from its inception (1968) through its most recent reauthorization (1994) as the primary federal legislative effort to provide equal educational opportunity to language minorities. Discusses assimilation versus multiculturalism as a philosophical basis for education reforms, litigation preceding…

Presents a small case study of language shift in the Teochew Chinese community in Singapore. The study highlights the complex relationship between societal change processes, government policy, people's attitude, and language use. (Author/JL)

Among both first- and second-generation immigrant groups in New Zealand and Australia, women maintain the ethnic language (EL) longer than men. Compared with men's networks, women's networks encourage more extensive use of EL in social interactions, and women value the social and affective functions expressed by EL. (Contains 71 references.…

In the United States and Canada, the number of radio stations operated by Native Americans has greatly increased in recent years, as have the amount of programming in native languages and the number of native language instructional programs. Such programming can play a role in maintaining vigorous native languages and revitalizing endangered…

A survey of 106 Vietnamese parents in San Diego found that most wanted Vietnamese to be included in their children's classroom, regardless of the child's level of English proficiency. In addition, most parents agreed with the main principles that are the foundations of bilingual education. (Contains 16 references.) (Author/SV)

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…