The article deals with the problems experienced by language minorities in Europe. The relevant social and political characteristics of the historical period in which the minorities appeared are outlined, and a model for the process of assimilation is given. Emancipation of the language minorities is discussed. Available from Humanities Press,…

Asserts that, if the aim of foreign language teaching is to be communicative competence, then some of the sociocultural determinants of usage of some forms should not be overlooked. The Spanish pronominal address forms, "tu" and "Ud.," are discussed as an example. (EJS)

Special issue devoted to the topic of standard spoken usage. (VM)

Analyzes the language of advertising and the expressive devices it uses to capture the attention of the consumer and arouse his/her interest. Condemns the artificiality of this language and the social values it reflects, quoting profusely from the works of Herman Glaser and other contemporary authors. (MES)

Interindividual and intragroup code-switching between the local and urban dialects is related to the degree of interplay among sociocultural factors of status, integrity and self-esteem present in the speech situation. In formal meetings, code-switching is governed by these factors with speakers manipulating the parameters of status while…

Presents a list of new socio-political terms in Spanish that are being used more frequently in literature today. Definitions of the terms are included. (NCR)

This article wishes to initiate a sociolinguistic study of the linguistic behavior of migrant workers in France. The methodology proposed is to resemble that presently used by US sociolinguists in the study of American ethnic communities and include such basic concepts as "Linguistic Community" and "Language Loyalty." (Text is…

What is the probability that Spanish, as a vernacular language, will survive in the U.S. with an increasing usage and prestige? Or will its usage, its speakers and its importance diminish rapidly in number and geographical extension? Can it be retained or will there be a shift into English? This article, written in Spanish, addresses these…

Presents and contrasts a difference/cultural versus dominance/power-based approach to studying sex differences in language use. The first approach is critiqued and suggestions are provided for further research. (69 references) (LT)

Analyzes the differences in production and comprehension of sexist stereotypes used in TV commercials. Compares metaphor choice and figures of speech and some syntactic markers and impact of such language on male and female viewers. (LET)

A study used both a survey and observation to investigate the phenomenon of politer speech among Japanese women than among Japanese men. The survey of 256 men and 271 women, parents of college students at a college in Tokyo and representing a middle-class population, inquired about the respondents' personal use of polite forms of Japanese. It is…

A study is reported which examines the following issues: the linguistic and cultural values that the Chinese community attaches to education and to the processes and outcomes of education; and the nature of the community's involvement with school programs and the degree of match and mismatch between the school and the home culture. Data were…

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)

Demolinguistics is a branch of sociolinguistics observing linguistic trends as affected by population distribution and redistribution and by the status of societies. Modern communication techniques favor the spread of the 'big' languages to the disadvantage of the 'small' ones. (Text is in French.) Available from Humanities Press, Inc., Atlantic…

In this analysis of prior knowledge and bilingual literacy, it is suggested that the basis upon which cognitive decisions are made and nonvisual inferences are drawn comes from the background knowledge that the reader possesses as tacit or prior knowledge. It is claimed that the only model that can account for the pluralistic nature of language is…