This is the first empirical study that focused on attitudes towards two varieties of Tamil, Literary Tamil (LT) and Standard Spoken Tamil (SST), with the multilingual state of Singapore as the backdrop. The attitudes of 46 Singapore Tamil teachers towards speakers of LT and SST were investigated using the matched-guise approach along with…

It is argued that viewing learners' errors as evidence for the emergence of new varieties of the English language is dangerously mistaken, particularly where it leads to the abandonment of Standard English as a model for learners. It is shown how this view is mistaken by: (1) citing recent British thinking on the relationship of varieties of…

This paper addresses the issue of the relationship between World Englishes (WE) and applied linguistics. The diffusion of English is seen in terms of three concentric circles: the Inner Circle (first-language varieties, e.g., the United States, United Kingdom), the Outer Circle (English-as-a-Second-Language varieties), and the Expanding Circle…

This bibliography contains 410 annotated citations, in French or English, of research reports, journal articles, monographs, and papers on aspects of language variation. Each citation includes basic bibliographic information, publication type, availability information, an annotation, content classifications, and descriptors. Listings are also…

A review of the NCTE publication "Students' Right to Their Own Language." (RM)

The article explores the interrelationships between theory, ideology, empirical research, and practical affairs, with particular reference to the sociolinguistic nature of the Chicano community. (NQ)

Discusses Ramon Menendez Pidal's contribution to Spanish and general lexicography in his prologue to Samuel Gili Gaya's "Diccionario General." (AM)

A study is reported which was designed to investigate the views held by Egyptians of various ages and educational backgrounds toward several of the speech varieties used in the Egyptian context, and to ascertain the perceived suitability of these codes for diverse purposes within Egyptian society. (Author/RM)

The rate of assimilation of individual features to their target phonetic constraints varies as a function of the general target constraint itself, the segment class affected by the constraint, and the syllable involved. This rate is hypothesized as a measure of the strength or productivity of the phonological rule. (Author/DB)

Analyzes Saussure's theory of language as social event and subsequent divergent opinions put forth by contemporary linguists. (AM)

Supports Cheng's conclusions and points out that changes in Chinese teaching in this country must reflect the rapid changes in written characters in China itself. (CHK)

The range of Spanish varieties found among Chicanos is broad and can be expressed in terms of a linguistic continuum where particular varieties or rules are triggered by the presence of social and economic factors which permeate the relationships among speakers involved in a locutionary act. (Author/NQ)

The potential contribution of linguistics to the cause of bilingual-bicultural education is of profound importance, and the utilization of linguistic knowledge and research is critical if bilingual programs are to be of the quality needed to achieve their goals. (Author/NQ)

Presents a method of quantifying the rate of a given change in a language during a specific time period. (Author/RM)

Discusses ethnic-social variation in American Sign Language among black signers in Georgia. Some of the lexical and formational (phonological) variation observed in old and young signers is discussed. (Author/RM)