The pronunciation and use of /s/ in the isleno dialect of Spanish, a dying language spoken in a small ethnic enclave in southeast Louisiana, is examined. Today, there are fewer than 20 fluent speakers of isleno Spanish, which has been described as a fossilized derivative of the speech of Canary Island peasants with additions from Spanish sailors.…

The few remaining fluent speakers of the isleno dialect of Spanish vary their casual pronunciation of /s/ in a manner consistent with, but not identical to, other Caribbean Spanish dialects. The behavior of /s/ in the speech of nonfluent islenos parallels that of fluent speakers, differing only in the higher degree of aspiration and deletion. This…

This brochure discusses, in lay terms, how languages change and how English in particular has gone through much alteration over the ages. It explains that languages change because: the needs of its speakers change; individual experience differs, and, therefore, the uses of language differ; new words are brought in from other languages or created…

In an attempt to determine some of the shared phonological traits among Pueblo Indians of the American Southwest, this paper compares the sound systems of Pueblo languages. The languages within the scope of this research are Zuni, Keresan (Acoma and Santa Ana), and Tanoan (Sandia, Taos, Jemez, and Santa Clara). It is noted that Pueblo Indians have…

A generative theory of language and dialect is described. Selected features of Southern American morphosyntax, and their relationship to the phrase structure rules of other American English systems, are investigated. Southern and other systems can be classified on structural criteria as dialects of one language. (SCC)

This article discusses the Singapore English speech continuum and its development, use and relation to sociolinguistic factors. An ethnic and linguistic background is also provided, as well as a discussion of a sub-variety known as Singlish. (CLK)

This is a contrastive synchronic study. Scales and rules of conversion are set up whereby it is shown which non-cognate consonants appear in initial position in one dialect and what they become when converted to the other. A matrix of contrast to show consonantal feature differences is also used. (SC)

An analysis of the communication process focusing on approaches to eliminating barriers to communication between teachers and inner-city students. An addendum lists instructional materials that are aimed at facilitating this process. (EH)

Provides varied examples of the use of idioms. (Text is in Spanish.) (DS)

Affective factors are at least as important as dialect differences in discovering why innercity children have difficulty learning, according to the research cited in this literature review. (RB)

Questions are addressed that focus on why lower class and minority group test takers score lower on standardized tests than their middle class Anglo counterparts. The questions include the following: (1) In what ways can dialect differences affect testing? (2) How can dialect differences directly affect a test of language? (3) Shouldn't standard…

A study of speakers of a range of English dialects was conducted to investigate some influences on the pattern of phonetic final devoicing of phonologically voiced fricatives and affricates. With the help of spectrographically examined tape-recorded speech derived from sociolinguistic interviews of the subjects, the study examined seven English…

This annotated bibliography of 45 children's books with Cajun themes includes books using Cajun dialect and common French phrases, books revealing the importance of the family unit and the "joie de vivre" associated with the Cajun culture, and books recording the regional Cajun folklore. Each annotation consists of author, title,…

This study assessed the role of frequency of input in the acquisition of the present perfect by Scottish and American children. Two questions were addressed: Do adults speaking Scottish English use the present perfect more frequently in speech to children than those speaking American English? If there is a difference in the frequency of input, how…