The nature of language change over time is examined, and an evolutionary theory of language is proposed. The text, intended for laymen, students, and experts alike, first addresses the reasons and mechanisms by which language changes, and attempts to identify a relationship between the essence of language, reasons for change, and the genesis of…

Analyzes two descriptions of Nigerian English and discusses their implications for ESL teachers in Nigeria. (EKN)

The overall construction, internal organization, and utility of an inventory of Black African French variants are reviewed and found highly useful. Part of a page is reproduced as an example. (MSE)

Illustrates with numerous examples and analyses the various uses of "quien." Discusses alternation between "quien" and the groups "el cual"/"el que," variation in the verb agreement, the function of "quien" as an indefinite pronoun, as well as questions of stylistic preference and correctness. (MES)

The author uses introspection to consider the critical aspects of the writing process. (RL)

This section consists of reprints on the following topics: (1) the misuse of "en"; (2) anglicisms; (3) widespread use of vulgar language; (4) an interview with Emilio Criado on Spanish language variation; (5) use of the feminine in professional titles; and (6) Spanish, the national language of Latin American countries. (AMH)

Reports the results of interviews conducted in Sapporo, Japan, an area undergoing rapid urbanization. The study sought to determine the effect of urbanization on degree of intensity of interaction with neighbors, and on the use of honorifics. (Author/AM)

A linguistic analysis of the legends used on advertising posters. The data used is from Winston and Marlboro commercials. (Text is in French.) (TL)

Compares models of Optimality Theory (OT) and Variable Rules (VR), arguing that VR is superior on theoretical and empirical grounds: constraint effects are stable, transparent, learnable. Moreover, VR's probabilistic treatment of constraint effects allows successful modeling of cases in which multiple violations of a single constraint lead to…

Analyzes numerous examples of English and German verbs with respect to alternations they undergo and concludes that the semantic classes of verbs that undergo a particular alternation differ between these two languages but that there are some semantic constraints on this variation. The article stresses the limited nature of the study. (Seven…

Investigated the extent to which there is rhetorical variation between the research article abstracts written in English for international journals and those written in Spanish and published in Spanish journals in the area of experimental social sciences. Rhetorical variables found across the two languages may be explained by the different…

Addresses the Singlish-standard English debate in terms of discourse resources and the politics of language planning in Singapore, especially for the Singlish speaker. Examines media reports, official statements, and letters to local newspapers and considers the implications of this debate for Singaporeans and their participation within society.…

Focuses on the language situation in Luxembourg, examining the interference between Letzeburgesch on one hand and, French German, and English on the other. Bourdieu's concept of legitimate language is modified to match the situation in Luxembourg of "triglossia with trilinguaism" and the legitimate multilingual language competence, which…

The meaning of Hispanic words often varies from country to country. To assist business travelers in Spain and Latin America, a lexicon is provided that details the various office-supply terms used in a variety of Spanish-speaking countries. The lexicon is based on interviews with over 200 Hispanic informants. (JL)

An examination of linguists' attempts to characterize the variety of English used in various articles and novels found that, although they used different criteria for classification, the linguists almost equally (about 30 percent of the time each) either could not identify, correctly identified, or incorrectly identified the variety. (14…