The role and status of English instruction in West Germany is outlined. The regions of West Berlin, Hesse, and North Rhine-Westphalia are highlighted. The role of English and English instruction in the country as a whole, English instruction in the educational system, the demand for and qualifications of English teachers, textbook selection and…

Attitudes and policies toward bilingualism in the United States have always been affected by political considerations. Although controversy over bilingualism is political in principle, it is a particular kind of political controversy, that is, a manifestation of a new stage in the history of an even larger controversy over the meaning of…

This proposed study will examine the underlying causalities of the U-shaped developmental trend in metaphoric production and the causes which make up the linearly increasing trend. Seven hypotheses will be tested in the study. Ninety children, all from middle-class families and attending nursery and public schools in Austin (Texas), with ages…

This paper builds upon the poetics of scientific discourse which provide extraordinary insights into the workings of the scientific imagination and into the ways it is both colonized and liberated by the medium of social and ideological transfer--metaphor. The paper examines what constructivism is teaching us about the role metaphor plays in…

In January 1989 a survey of 300 U.S.-based multinational corporations was conducted, with two earlier studies forming a basis for comparison, to re-examine the foreign and second language and cross-cultural training needs of the companies. Existing policies pertaining to this training were also surveyed and the amount, types, and purposes of the…

The first volume of a study of the vitality of written Indian languages explains a computerized system for rating vitality and tests certain demographic variables, with statistical analysis, to determine their influence on the vitality rating. An introductory section examines the concept of linguistic vitality and issues of its measurement. The…

In the Cheche Konnen project, secondary school language minority students plan and carry out investigations into phenomena in the natural world as scientists would ("cheche konnen" is Haitian Creole for "search for knowledge"). Students pose questions, plan and implement research to explore them, build and revise theories,…

A 1985 survey of Swiss military recruits, aged about 20, and a 1987 survey of comparable Swiss women concerning their attitudes toward English as a possible lingua franca for their multilingual country are reported. Samples consisted of responses from German-speaking Switzerland (1,930 males, 324 females), French-speaking Switzerland (1,133 males,…

This study investigated how and when foreign language competence makes a difference in the international operations of U.S.-based corporations, what skills are required, and how companies access them. Thirty-two interviews were conducted in nine companies of varying size and type, with people representing a variety of perspectives in human…

Current thinking about academic language and the variety of language appropriate to school and similar settings is discussed. Recent literature concerning academic language is explored, and common themes and significant observations that emerge when the concept is viewed from a sociological perspective are examined. The research reviewed includes…

Composing written text in an educational context engages both students and teachers in struggles between convention and choice, resulting frequently in the negotiation of compromises with which neither teachers nor students feel comfortable. The linguistic traditions of a discipline are powerful determinants of the nature of the language in which…

Two essays discuss the need for improved international transfer of scientific and technical information and propose the international language Esperanto for that purpose. "The Role of Esperanto" by Ouyang Wendao suggests that the burden of time and energy spent in translating scientific literature quickly and well and the difficulties of…

This report outlines the basic characteristics of native languages in Ontario, the degree to which they are being maintained, and the aspirations of native people for their future development. The report covers only the Algonquian and Iroquoian families of languages spoken in Ontario for many generations and still spoken at present, including…

Research in the fields of education, linguistics, psychology, sociology, philosophy, politics, anthropology, rhetoric, and computer science has yielded a large body of knowledge about how language is produced and used in different types of communication, how language systems affect conceptual frameworks, and how language competence contributes to…

This profile of the English language teaching situation in Denmark examines the role of English in Danish society and in the educational system. The status of English as the principal foreign language since the Second World War is noted as well as the wide usage of English as the principal medium of communication between Danes and non-Danish…