There is presently little world-wide interest in Micronesia. Attitudes toward the U.S. administration vary from the pro-American bid for Commonwealth status by the Marianas to the movement for independence in the Marshalls. The polarization of these attitudes from the northernmost to southernmost reaches of the territory seems to be in direct…

At the llth Biannual Conference on French Language the subject of language planning and the future prospects of French language development were discussed. Promoters of French language worldwide concluded that francophone Africa will play a major role in French language development from the year 2000. (TR)

Proposes three basic orientations toward language and its role in society: language-as-problem, language-as-right, and language-as-resource. Considers bilingual education in framework of these orientations. Sees the development and elaboration of a language-resource orientation as important for the integration of bilingual education into a…

This article describes the needs and efforts to devise a simple and concrete scientific vocabulary of Spanish. (Text is in Spanish.) (CLK)

This collection of papers examines how sign languages are distributed around the world; what occurs when they come in contact with spoken and written languages, and how signers use them in a variety of situations. Each chapter introduces the key issues in a particular area of inquiry and provides a comprehensive review of the literature. The seven…

Language revitalization efforts in Garifuna communities are complicated by their dispersion in Central America, St. Vincent, and the United States. Garifuna language and culture originated on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, with the mixing of African and Arawakan languages. After the British conquered the island, they relocated thousands of…

This article reports that, after years of debate, representatives of German-speaking countries meeting in Vienna reached an agreement on measures to reform the spelling of the German language. Many linguists were disappointed that it was not decided to change the most unique characteristic of German spelling--the capitalization of German nouns.…

While societies and their languages continually change in response to internal and external circumstances, there are proactive measures that can be implemented to either maintain the particular direction in which that language is moving or to reverse it. Parents and educators can effectuate positive change, individually and collectively. Some…

Article also appeared in "International Journal of the Sociology of Language,"n1; part of a longer report to appear in "Language Planning in Israel." (DD)

Article also appeared in "International Journal of the Sociology of Language," n1; research supported by the Foundation for Jewish Culture, the Ford Foundation, and The Language Behavior Secion, Hebrew University. (DD)

Examines the ambivalent attitude toward the major speech varieties used in Tunisia (French, Classical Arabic, and Tunisian Arabic) and seeks to show the effects of that ambivalence on language policy, especially with regard to Arabization and bilingualism. (EKN)

Describes the sociopolitical and educational implications of the complex linguistic situation in Belgium with particular relevance to aspects of bilingualism present in the bilingual and monolingual areas of the country. An analysis and an explanation of the discrepancy between official policy and public opinion with regard to language are given.…

Examines the history and growth of bilingual education in the United States as it has developed through legislation and the courts. Discusses the Department of Health, Education and Welfare and its language planning efforts. (JMF)

Examines the use of Pacific languages in the teaching of the University of the South Pacific (USP). In introducing Pacific languages, the USP is responding to language planning in the various countries that operate the university. The challenge has been to integrate Pacific languages into university structures by creating both individual units…