DEPENDENCE UPON SYMBOLS HAS LONG BEEN THE MARK OF CIVILIZED MAN. ALTHOUGH THE MAJORITY OF US HAVE LITTLE TROUBLE IDENTIFYING AND EVALUATING THE REFERENTS OF PHYSICAL SYMBOLS, WE ARE LESS SURE WHEN DEALING WITH THE MORE SUBTLE TYPE OF SYMBOLS CALLED WORDS. WE KNOW THAT A WORD'S MEANING MAY VARY ACCORDING TO SPEAKER, WRITER, LISTENER, READER, OR…

TWO VIEWS OF A DICTIONARY'S PURPOSE CAME INTO SHARP CONFLICT UPON THE PUBLICATION OF WEBSTER'S "THIRD NEW INTERNATIONAL UNABRIDGED DICTIONARY." THE FIRST VIEW IS THAT A DICTIONARY IS A REFERENCE BOOK ON LANGUAGE ETIQUETTE, AN AUTHORITY FOR MAINTAINING THE PURITY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. THE SECOND IS THAT A DICTIONARY IS A SCIENTIFIC…

The identification techniques in Herbert C. Kelman's schema of identification were used to analyze the near, and perhaps surprising, success of Rep. Frances (Sissy) Farenthold's bid for the Democratic Texas gubernatorial nomination in 1972. Opposing government corruption, Farenthold overcame the potential obstacles of being a politically liberal…

The distinctive attributes of human beings, their culture, environment, and the language by which they give meaning to that environment are explored in this book. It also considers the relationship of the school to the community and to language, as well as how human beings accommodate to change, specifically that encountered by children in the new…

The thesis of this article is that, in general, English literacy tests and other statutory sanctions applied in favor of English were originally formulated as an indirect but effective means of achieving discrimination on the basis of race, creed, or color. Many such provisions in the law are anachronistic, having only historical interest today,…

In addition to the contributions of structural and transformational-generative linguistics to the teaching of English as a second language, there is a need for attention to studies on how language is learned. Also needed is access to various kinds of information pertinent to language planning processes--for example, information concerning the…

The present Information Circular covering the language situation in East Africa has been prepared as a bibliographic reference tool for specialists, universities, and libraries. The introductory section describes the work of EARIC (East African Research Information Centre), which is sponsored by the East African Academy and financed by the Ford…

The present volume (originally published in German under the title "Einfuhrung in Problematik und Methodik der Sprachwissenschaft" by Max Niemeyer Verlag, Tubingen, in 1943) contains a "clear, elegant and non-technical introduction into some of the fundamental problems of general linguistics, enlivened by numerous examples, mainly from the Romance…

In order to determine whether differences in choice of ethnic self-referent by Mexican-Americans reflect differences in ethnic identity and attitudes toward their culture, questionnaires were distributed among Mexican-Americans living in San Antonio. The measurable cultural attitude was that toward language, since to the Mexican-American Spanish…

Intonation patterns of Black English were studied and compared with those occurring in White English and formal Black English. It was found that: (1) the Black English corpus was characterized by a wider pitch range, extending into higher pitch levels than either the White vernacular or the formal Black English of the adult information; (2) a…

Subjective reactions to language (language attitudes, beliefs, values, etc.) are the focus of this monograph. Chapters include: (1) "Sociolinguistic Correlates of Speech Style in Quebec" by Alison d'Anglejan and G. Richard Tucker; (2) "Some 'Unexpected' Reactions to Various American-English Dialects" by Bruce Fraser; (3) "Attitudes and Learning a…

A representative sampling of the career of one man concerned with learners, teachers and with English is presented. In "So What Good is English," is demonstrated how both language and literature play vital roles in the designs of man and in man's designs; the importance of communication is demonstrated for even the most menial tasks in life; the…

The term "macho" has been increasingly incorporated into the English language with various connotations and definitions, i.e., male cheuvinist, superman, and hyper-manliness Yet these words are not substitutions for "macho" which has an intrinsic value of its own. For English speakers, the most prevalent definition is…

Discusses the implications for changes in linguistic theory, especially regarding sociolinguistics, for the teaching and learning of English as a second language. Advises language teachers to use common sense in adapting or reacting to the theoretical changes affecting language instruction. (RL)

The existence of a creole and a standard language in the same community inevitably tends to correlate with patterns of social stratification. The acquisition of one or the other form of the language by an individual is determined by the individual's position in the social hierarchy. (Author/WI)