In a report on meeting the language needs of refugees in Ireland, Little (2000) identifies two sets of language rights for refugees--stemming from the right to preserve their own language or languages as a central element of identity, and the right to enjoy free access to Irish society which entails the right to develop language proficiency in…

Background: An important issue in the discourse on language rights is the degree to which they influence the development and implementation of language policies or perpetuate inequalities in many language situations. Skutnabb-Kangas (1996, 2002a, 2002b) and May (2000), for example, have argued that language rights offer a reasonable framework for…

Each language is a unique tool for analyzing and synthesizing the world, incorporating the knowledge and values of a speech community. According to Sapir (1931), linguistic "categories [including] number, gender, case, tense, mode, voice, "aspect", and a host of others ... are not so much discovered in experience as imposed upon…

This article examines the experiences of three Indigenous communities with language immersion models in preschool through 12th grades to revitalize and preserve their native languages through ethnographic research design and methods. The history and implementation of language instruction in three Indigenous communities are summarized. The analysis…

This article examines some of the problems concerning the language of instruction in higher education within Europe and relates them to the African context. The author argues that there is reason to be worried about the spread of the use of English as a language of instruction in higher education, to the detriment of the smaller European languages…

Background Context: In most immigrant-receiving societies, an important question, both for researchers and policy makers, has been the weighing of the relative efficiency of different formulas in the learning of the host language by immigrant students, especially the potential impact of specific services on social integration and the role of…

This article explains the creation of the "Growing and Learning with Young Native Children" curriculum toolkit. The curriculum toolkit was designed to give American Indian and Alaska Native early childhood educators who work in a variety of settings the framework for developing a research-based, developmentally appropriate, tribally…

The national language patterns of Hispanics are assessed across three generations using data from the 1979 Current Population Survey. The apparently high rates of Spanish use and maintenance found in 1979 and 1980 are consistent with earlier sources that report much lower rates because of the rewording of the language use questions in the 1979…

The schema generally used to describe the linguistic situation in Italy includes two categories: dialetto regionale (regional dialect) and italiano regionale (regional Italian). These stand apart from the widely accepted sociolinguistic model "variety--dialect--language." It is demonstrated that both these categories should be treated…

The stability of an ethnic minority's language in a bilingual situation is viewed as a function of: (1) level of literacy in each of the two languages; (2) economic, social, and political power as related to the two languages; (3) geographic and social mobility; (4) social integration within each language group and across groups; (5) amount and…

Over the past 25 years, Miami, Florida, has become a truly multi-ethnic and multi-cultural urban region. Cuban refugees, who reshaped Miami's economy and demography, have adjusted to American society but have not completely assimilated. It is too early to predict pluralism or assimilation among Haitian immigrants. (KH)

Describes the workings of the Welsh National Centre for Children's Literature and its role in keeping the Welsh language alive. (AEA)

Reviews studies on language loss in individuals rather than groups in three categories: research on optimal age for foreign language learning; studies on cognitive aspects of language loss; and investigations concerning attitudes toward language learning, maintenance, and loss. Believes such research may ultimately tell foreign language teachers…

Bilingual education may appear to be incompatible with the traditional assimilationist goals of American public education. However, if bilingual programs can produce more educated Hispanic American citizens who can function in U.S. society, they will ultimately have served the cause of assimilation. (Author/ST)

This paper demonstrates that French language maintenance in Ontario does not depend only on French language schooling. Other contributing factors include francophone concentration and institutional support for French in the public and private sector. Difficulties related to French language schooling and suggestions for improving the status of…