Sign language in the Arab World has been recently recognized and documented. Many efforts have been made to establish the sign language used in individual countries, including Jordan, Egypt, Libya, and the Gulf States, by trying to standardize the language and spread it among members of the Deaf community and those concerned. Such efforts produced…

The continual model of biliteracy offers a framework in which to situate research, teaching, and language planning in linguistically diverse settings; bilingual teacher education represents a conjunction of all three of these and hence, a good candidate for applying the continual model. This paper uses selected experiences in language teacher…

An overview of formal government language-in-education planning for community languages (CLs) that has been undertaken in Australia and New South Wales is provided, moving from the more informal programmes provided in the 1980s to school-oriented programmes and training at the turn of the century. These programmes depend on community support; for…

After a century of effort, directed at modernising Chinese script, it is still the case that Chinese characters (henceforth "hanzi") remain a deficient communication system both for human use and for mechanical application. In some respects, the reform of Chinese "hanzi" has been a very political process, driven ultimately by…

Language policy development connects a school district's educational philosophy and the day-to-day practice of educators. An educational philosophy elaborates the aims a school district has for its students; language policy, on the other hand, engages day-to-day practice because it is concerned with how students are going to achieve the aims…

The Mekong has long attracted interest although it remains economically insignificant. A group of riparian states known as the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS)--Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Yunnan Province (China)--now manage aspects of regional development including trade, water management and education. Standard GMS discourse…

Teaching Spanish has become increasingly popular in the United States due to demographic shifts. This study focuses on a Spanish-only initiative for an existing Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES) program proposed by a southeastern public school district's school board. It analyzes discourses underlying the policymakers' rationales…

This paper examines the English language situation at primary school level in Vietnam from a language planning perspective. It examines language policy for foreign language teaching in Vietnam to provide a picture of the role of English in foreign language education. It analyses language-in-education policy, curriculum and teaching materials, and…

This paper explores a major curriculum innovation in English language teaching in Turkish primary education from macro and micro perspectives. After an overview of the role of English in Turkey, macro-level planning underlying the introduction of English language teaching policy in state-owned primary education is presented. Then the diffusion of…

The European Community (EC) openly supports use and maintenance of the major languages of its countries. One idea behind this support is not to privilege any language of the community, but to encourage the unique features of each member state. This policy carries over into support for diversified language instruction; rather than promote one or…

This paper discusses language policy and educational practice in the context of a class action law suit filed on behalf of Asian students in Philadelphia concerning their linguistic and academic needs. It addresses both macro and micro perspectives in its discussion of litigation policy, acquisition policy planning, and Asian Americans in the…

The purpose of the symposium was to exchange experiences in the standardization of national languages in different socio-cultural contexts. Examples of the strategies and results of such experiences in Africa, Latin America, and Europe were presented for discussion. Papers presented at the symposium include the following: "Language…

Discussion of the establishment of a single language for Europe's many countries and cultures focuses on the debate over English versus Esperanto as the language of choice. It is argued that the notion that language has not been a major barrier to intellectual exchange is a myth. In addition, while the main European political institutions support…

Examines the principle that the rules of language to be applied in a given situation will depend on the territory or on the linguistic status of the person or persons concerned. The principles are considered in broad contexts, formally and practically, and criteria that may influence the choice of one over another is looked at. (SCC)

The role of local attitudes in recent orthographic reform in Kope is examined. The previous Kope orthographic tradition is outlined, and two areas apparently requiring reform (nasal/fricative variation and vowel clusters versus semivowels). The concerns and the greater awareness among the locals regarding these orthographic changes are explored.…