A discussion of the use of Japanese in the English language classroom in Japan proposes that whatever justification is given for the English-only classroom is based on two flawed arguments: (1) outright rejection of the traditional grammar-translation method; and (2) the false assumption that an English-only requirement is an essential element of…

In the complex ethnic mosaic of Macedonia, the Romani people (Roms) have maintained their separateness while at the same time functioning as an integral and accepted part of everyday Macedonian life. This paper reports that, although Roms seek to participate in Macedonian formal educational institutions using their own language, the Romani…

This atlas of language vitality in China covers the majority Han (Mandarin) language and 59 officially recognized minority languages. The first section, on the Han language, gives a breakdown of its oral and written vitality overall and for eight domains (religion, schools, mass media, administration, courts, legislature, manufacturing industries,…

A metaphor and ongoing debate of the information age is that the mind is a computer or that, conversely, the computer has a mind. Since the debate is conducted using anthropomorphic metaphors such as "intelligent,""memory," and "friendly" (terms from humanity), the language itself pressures the discussion towards the conclusion that computers will…

Principles and strategies for learning second languages for the purpose of effective intercultural communication are discussed, with particular reference to the teaching of English, the dominant foreign language in Denmark. In the first section, the official, relatively open-ended Danish goals for English language teaching are outlined. The second…

The atlas offers a cartography of language functions, quantitatively measured in vitality rates, for Western Europe. The atlas has three parts: vitality by language; vitality by domain; and vitality by country. Eighty-three minority languages are covered. Domains considered include: global; religion; schools; mass media; administration; courts;…

Various groups of Native American peoples and other non-English speakers are required to become literate in English and are promised that literacy will solve their social, economic, and political problems. Yet, having achieved some level of English literacy, many of these people find that not much has changed. The educational system attributes…

A case study analyzed the function of language (how language was being used and for what purposes) in a composition classroom from a systemic linguistic perspective. The subject was a young woman of Iranian-Macedonian descent and the researcher was the subject's composition teacher. The study focused on the subject's use of metaphor in relation to…

This report demonstrates the extent to which Quebec's laws, especially the Charter of the French Language, meant to protect and promote the French language, are actually hurting the present and future use of the English language in that province. It is shown that, through court decisions, individual users of English, a minority, are being denied…

A study investigated patterns of usage of French connectors (e.g., "alors,""mais,""puisque") among Chinese university students of French as a foreign language. The study arose from concern that the lack of connector usage contributed to a lack of coherence in the students' oral and written language. Subjects were 45…

A study was conducted to examine the interdependence between "actors'" (persons responsible for solving problems within their municipalities) conceptions and local strategies for development. Two peripheral municipalities with development problems are compared. The municipalities have a shared history and culture and a similar economic…

Metaphoric analysis of family systems theory illustrates how metaphors and alternatives to those metaphors identify what a psychological theory has highlighted and obscured about the phenomena at its focus and how it has structured that phenomena. The most commonly used metaphors in family systems theory are the metaphors of system (system…

Half of all Hispanics living in the United States aged 25 or over have not finished high school. According to the 2-year longitudinal study from which this report is drawn, 64.4 percent of the 700 ninth-grade students in the sample reported that their fathers or stepfathers did not complete high school. For mothers and stepmothers, the percentage…

Black autobiography can only be viewed sensibly in the classroom if an attempt is made to come to terms with the social and historical milieu in which the work was produced and with the persona and ethos of the writer. Critical failure to do so puts critic and text at a serious disadvantage because such failure restricts critical vision to the…

A discussion of the language needs of adolescents as they relate to second language instruction suggests that for this large population of learners, language needs have not really been considered seriously. It is also proposed that because of the fluidity of the term "language needs," the focus should instead be on second language communication…