Although American Indian and Alaska Native communities have largely won the legal right to maintain their languages and cultures, they lack the "effective right" to do so. The effective right means access to the tools for getting the job done--the knowledge, strategies, and resources necessary to resist destruction of languages and…

This book examines language attitudes, focusing on individual attitudes toward majority and minority languages and bilingualism. Special emphasis is placed on research conducted on language attitudes in Wales toward the Welsh and English languages. Six chapters address the following: (1) the nature, definition, and measurement of language…

A discussion of multilingualism in Switzerland begins with a description of the country's linguistic characteristics. Historical Swiss policy recognizing four official languages, one of which (Romansch) is spoken by very few people, is compared with the current situation in which internal and external migration and multilingualism are common. The…

This International atlas of language vitality offers a cartography of language functions, based on a quantitative measure of the vitality of each language. It covers the constitutional languages of India, and offers maps, graphs, and data tables illustrating the vitality ratings of 14 languages by state, domain of usage (religion, schools, mass…

Using a discourse-centered approach to ethnography, this book provides an empirically based, contemporary overview of a rapidly changing First Nations village in northern Ontario (Canada). Data were collected in the 1980s during a 2-year residence and follow-up visits in the Severn Ojibwa community of Lynx Lake, a remote subarctic village in which…

A study analyzed the use of Basque and Spanish by 36 bilingual teenagers enrolled in a Basque school in Spain, based on results of a survey. The history and present situation of the Basque language are outlined, and the importance of the revival of the Basque language by those who learn it in school is highlighted. Complete technical data from the…

Discussion of the role of languages in Macau focuses on three areas: forces in determination of language policy; actual language use in Macau; and prospects beyond 1999. Four main forces for language policy are identified: emergence of a middle class due to economic progress and access to higher education; arrival of well-educated, liberal…

Aspects of state planning for language in education in Arkansas are examined and of several models of language planning that illuminate this case are analyzed. Information was gathered on language minority populations in Arkansas from census data, reports, and public and private sources. From this, an overall picture of language planning in the…

Issues unique to survey research among limited-English-proficient (LEP) populations are discussed, with illustrations drawn from one recent doctoral study. The research in question was on language, culture, and ethnicity in five Chinese-language schools in northern California. Its aim was to investigate the role of the schools in maintaining…

Ethnocentrism has permeated the European-American educational establishment for nearly 500 years. Native students have been subjected to a barrage of assimilation tactics designed to destroy their cultures and languages. Only 206 Native languages remain (about a third of the original number), and about 50 of these are near extinction. Language…

The Hispanic-American, because he or she is bilingual and bicultural, could play an important role in the future economic development of the United States. Declines in steel, automotive, and electronics industries due to foreign competition and market saturation have caused industrial displacement and unemployment. The Maquiladora or Twin Plant…

A collection of research reports concerning language issues on Guam includes: "Language Survival, the Ideology of English and Education in Guam" (Robert A. Underwood); "American Policies and Practices Affecting Language Shift on Guam: 1898-1950" (Rosa S. Palomo); "Is Bilingual Education a Friend or Foe of the Indigenous…

Eighteen model syllabi are presented for teaching Spanish to native speakers of Spanish. The syllabi were produced during a summer institute, entitled "Teaching Spanish to Native Speakers of Spanish," in order to meet the unique language situation of U.S. hispanophone students. Traditional lower division Spanish-as-a-foreiqn-language courses are…

The sociolinguistic assessment model employed in this study demonstrated a useful approach for examining the interrelationships between community and school goals regarding bilingual education. As results indicated, not only do educators and parents differ in their sociolinguistic characteristics, but also in their selection of a bilingual…

Early Russian religious and educational influences on the 20 various Alaskan Native languages are described, followed by those of American origin in schools and religious groups after the American purchase in 1867, all of which show the development of diglossia and language shifts. The present dual educational system, which includes state schools…