Language shift among New Mexico Pueblo Indians threatens the loss of their oral-based cultures. Language revival for many Pueblos has resulted in school programs in which students are easily accessible and teachers are accountable to tribes rather than the state. Finding "Pueblo space" for the Native language in school, where it was…

Japanese Sign Language (JSL) is currently in a state of transition as various elements within and outside the Deaf community contest the creation of new terms. Represented by the Japanese Federation of the Deaf, the older generation is creating new words in order to compete with the national public television service while at the same time fending…

This paper examines preliminary findings from an ongoing federally funded study of Native language shift and retention in the US Southwest, focusing on in-depth ethnographic interviews with Navajo youth. We begin with an overview of Native American linguistic ecologies, noting the dynamic, variegated and complex nature of language proficiencies…

This article analyses issues pertaining to language policy in Zimbabwean education beginning with the establishment of formal education under colonial rule. English is the official language of business, government and education, and the dominant language in the media. Official policy, before and after independence, has been characterised by…

The paper presents the results of an empirical evaluation of a mathematical model of ethnolinguistic vitality. The model adds several new factors to the set used in previous models of ethnolinguistic vitality and operationalises it in a manner that would make it easier to compare the vitality of different groups. According to the model, the…

This study investigates how immigrant minority pupils in a primary Flemish 5th Form construct their self-ascribed identities in terms of their cultural and linguistic affiliations. Two generalizable findings emerging from these pupils' discourse seem to shed light on synchronic variation and diachronic change in their strategies of identity…

This book provides an overview of the history, present circumstances, and future prospects of the native languages of Quebec: Abenaki, Algonquin, Atikamekw, Cree, Inuktitut, Micmac, Mohawk, Montagnais, and Naskapi. Chapter 1, "The Situation of Aboriginal Languages in the Americas" (Jacques Maurais), discusses the linguistic demography of…

This brief survey of the field of psycholinguistics is intended for both students and anyone interested in language. It contains a summary overview of the main features of this area of language study: scope and principles of inquiry; basic concerns; and key concepts. Chapter topics include: language acquisition (first words, the birth of grammar,…

Current language policy planning in Ireland was examined as part of a larger study of the language behavior of groups with access or exposure to more than one language. Language can be seen as a resource to ethnic groups primarily in their competition for access to the goods and services of a nation. The norm for groups in prolonged contact is…

Linguists generally refuse to make judgments about language or define standards of excellence for it. This perpetuates a fundamental paradox of descriptive linguistics: the inability to describe a language without providing a standard or setting a norm. The discipline's desire to escape from ethnocentrism has caused it to avoid a legitimate and…

A study is reported in which 14 bilingually schooled and 16 conventionally schooled Mexican-American children and their parents were subjects of research over a two-year period. The bilingual program students were found to be using Spanish more after several years and continued this pattern over time. (Author/RM)

This handbook provides an introduction to research findings related to bilingualism in minority-language children, and describes the implications of these findings for issues of current concern in Canadian education. Bilingualism is defined as the production and/or comprehension of two languages by the same individual. The phrase…

The development of Maori-English bilingual education programs in New Zealand will have these beneficial effects: (1) the educational needs of Maori children, who are likely to be bilingual when they start school, will be met; (2) the maintenance of the Maori language and culture will be fostered; and (3) the indigenous culture will win new…

Current trends in American Indian bilingual education are discussed. An overview of American Indian bilingual programs is presented. The model utilized shows the range of variation in situation, programs and goals. (HP)

A study of the changes in the language behavior of an American-Lebanese community in Cleveland, Ohio, considering the community's background, its current status, environmental interactions, and linguistic behavior. Findings indicate a reduced ability to be quick and easy, reduced ability to be expressive, and linguistic insecurity. (CB)