Discusses endangerment of the Navajo language, blaming schooling, but noting several other factors that weaken language loyalty. Explains that vernacular literacy, traditional and introduced religion, and political structure have failed to establish a counterforce to language loss. Economic changes have led to new living patterns that, together…

Surveys administered to 823 Chinese in Taiwan to measure the extent of language maintenance of mother dialects and shift toward use of Mandarin revealed a substantial shift toward the use of Mandarin. Successive family generations increasingly used Mandarin, and Mandarin was generally recognized as a common language for intergroup communication.…

A study examined the relationship between language experiences of Italo-Canadian students at home and school and their perceptions of group vitality and ethnic language maintenance. Subjects were in grade eight integrated and non-integrated heritage language programs. (58 references) (Author/MSE)

The history of Esperanto, a language created to promote international communication, is chronicled. Discussion focuses on the origins and development of the language, early attitudes toward its adoption, patterns of use and recognition, the development of a literature in and of Esperanto, the culture associated with the language. (Author/MSE)

In a sociolinguistic study of nonpathological language loss, residents of German-speaking background who arrived in Australia between 1970 and 1981 were interviewed. Quantitative findings show an insignificant difference in favor of the second language, whereas qualitative feelings of competence in the first language had decreased. (Contains 27…

Reviews recent research on language maintenance and language loss, focusing on the loss of a second language in a first language environment, the linguistic aspects of loss, and relearning a "lost" language. An annotated bibliography discusses nine important works in the field. (43 references) (MDM)

Examines the resilience of small languages in the face of larger ones. Highlights include the concept of one dominant language, such as Esperanto; the threat of television to small visual-language societies; the power of visual media; man's relationship to language; and the resilience of language. (LRW)

Properties of the maintenance and loss of Spanish/English bilingualism were investigated in 308 high-school students of Mexican background. Variables investigated included actual and self-reported proficiencies in Spanish and English, self-reported language choice behavior in various settings, and language attitude. (JL)

A response to an argument that Canadian language policy prevents the self-defense of minority languages through exclusive territorial control (LaPonce, 1984) addresses the relative neglect of research concerning language and territoriality in the European context and contrasts the contemporary multilingual situations in Spain and Switzerland to…

Presents findings of research investigating first-language attrition of Turkish speakers in Australia and the role of subjunctive ethnolinguistic vitality perceptions in that process. Examines the relationship between societal factors and individuals' perceptions of the language contact situation as reflected in their speech behavior. (Author/VWL)

Provides an overview of key issues that community-based education initiatives presuppose and highlight. Argues that community-based education is fundamentally different from the more widely-known notion of community education because its implication extends beyond the local community through a critical questioning and contesting of wider…

Examines efforts to reverse language shift in two indigenous communities of southern Ecuador. Findings are presented from ethnographic work that investigated language use, language attitudes, and language instruction in two Andean communities that are attempting to revitalize their once-native Quechua.(Author/JL)

Provides a contrastive analysis of effects of two official policies geared toward promotion of indigenous populations, the Evenki in Siberia and the Oroqen in Northern China. Explores why the the Soviet and Chinese policies failed to buttress Evenki and Oroqen against encroaching languages and why the loss of the Oroqen language occurred faster…

This article examines the francophone community of Cohoes, New York, where nearly one-third of the population is of French-Canadian descent. It provides a historical overview of the French-Canadian experience in the area and an examination of language usage, language attitudes, and the maintenance of a francophone identity. Contains 16 references.…

Examines the Chinese immigrant community in Auckland, New Zealand and how they address the question of first language maintenance in their largely new English-speaking environment. Shows that language maintenance, especially the written language is going to be an uphill struggle. (Author/VWL)