The proceedings of a colloquium examining the status of French in Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) begin with an overview of the issues concerning the role of French in this multilingual, regional, cooperative union and a brief look at the future of French in the contemporary world. Discussions of the status of French in the six…

This paper explores the relationship between ethnolinguistic maintenance and regional economic development in the context of the regional planning policies of the minority language Gaeltacht areas. The Gaeltacht areas, where the Irish language (Gaeliz) is predominant over English, are primarily found in the extreme western portions of Northern and…

This study reveals the processes of language erosion and maintenance as they are affected by ethnicity and ethnic group interaction based on a 1976 survey of two communities in Wales, one largely anglicized and the other largely Welsh-speaking. Following a brief description of basic linguistic ability (speaking and reading) in the two communities,…

Australia launched its initial program of teaching English to adult migrants in the late 1940's. At times, bilingual methods were used, a trend that is returning. At that time, attempts were made to educate Australian people in the acceptance rather than rejection of migrants. Today there exists a variety of full-time, intensive, and accelerated…

Since bilingual education became an official government mandate, there has been much controversy regarding its philosophy, objectives, procedures, and effectiveness. Some educators choose to view bilingual education as transitory, and other educators believe minority students should be given bilingual instruction throughout their public school…

The history of the education of Montreal's Greek population is traced in this report, which is partly intended to act as a stimulus for future planning and development. Six chapters contain, respectively: (1) a history of Greek day education in and around Montreal, from its origin in 1910 with the founding of the "Plato" school to its…

A study is reported whose purpose was to investigate if a relationship existed between Spanish and English language development in young Spanish speaking Mexican-Americans. One half of the children involved in the study were in maintenance bilingual-bicultural programs. The other half were in pull-out ESL programs. Using the descriptive survey…

Schools in the United States that have always conducted classes in an ethnic language were studied in an attempt to correct a long-standing oversight in the development of bilingual education theory. Chapters are devoted to the critical examination of five of the assumptions that have guided ethnic communities in institutionalizing ethnic-language…

This report, based on the materials used by the Committee on Irish Language Attitudes Research, describes the relations between language policy and socioeconomic development in the Republic of Ireland. Their contribution to central state planning in the maintenance and extension of Irish since attainment of political independence in 1922 is…

This handbook was prepared for use by the various ethnic associations in Canada whose members want to find effective means of helping their children learn or maintain their ancestral language. The program described involves the use of recreational activities for language instruction, based on the theory that the nature of and motivation for…

Academic acceptance of American Sign Language (ASL) and its speakers can be achieved if higher education institutions make affirmative action training and employment commitments to deaf individuals. (CB)

Project planners and coordinators should consider twelve tips to ensure that English language training projects in developing countries will continue after external funding and high-cost aid personnel are removed. Involving local participants at all stages of the project, assuring future maintenance, and providing adequate incentives are some…

The results of an evaluation of a New Brunswick elementary school immersion program show that native speakers of English do not achieve the same proficiency in French language skills as they do in English. This is due to their limited exposure to native French speaking models outside the classroom. (MSE)

An overview of some basic issues underlying the national debate on bilingual education: its history, goals, and political implications. Contrasts the maintenance and transitional approaches. Argues that bilingual education is a civil rights and an equity issue, an essential part of multicultural education. (LHW)

A study examined the relationship of young Alsatians' language attitudes to both their language behavior at school and their linguistic norm and attitudes toward maintenance of their dialect. Results suggest that maintenance of minority languages can be helped by teaching linguistic minority youth to value their language and combat stereotypes.…