This volume is the first to comprehensively examine Chinese's affirmative action policies in the critical area of minority education, the most important conduit to employment and economic success in the People's Republic of China after the economic reforms begun in the late 1970s. This book contains four parts. Part I, "Debating China's…

In Britain, since the 1980s, the term "equality of opportunity" has been a major theme at the heart of the government's agenda. Centralisation via the National Curriculum documents has strengthened the idea of "education for all". In terms of many linguistic minority children, mainstreaming and the English as an Additional Language (EAL) provision…

Racial and language minority students who must repeat high school exit exams are at increased risk of dropping out of school. Each time students fail an exit exam, they become less confident that they will ever pass and more unsure about their ability to graduate and their postsecondary plans. The relationship between students' culture and their…

The focus of this paper is on immigrant minority languages in urban Western Europe. Both multidisciplinary and cross-national perspectives will be offered on two major domains in which language transmission occurs, i.e., the domestic domain and the public domain. Prototypical of these two domains are the home and the school, respectively. At home,…

This paper describes multiple Estonian-Russian language contacts in Estonia. For synchronic microsociolinguistic research it is usual to concentrate on the impact of a sociolinguistically dominant language A on an immigrant/minority language B. In the Soviet setting, the dominant language was usually Russian (despite Russians being a minority).…

This paper describes the linguistic plurality of the Russian Federation, assessing the impact that the hypothetical ratification of the European Charter of Regional and Minority Languages could have on it. Four sections focus on the following: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Part 1--The Linguistic Plurality of the Russian Federation":…

This paper discusses the protection of linguistic rights, focusing on the constitutional and legal experience in Europe. It addresses state plurilingualism, then examines general principles (the legal status of languages, equality, and multilingualism in representative institutions). Next, it discusses recognition of linguistic rights (the right…

Explored preschoolers' inferences about language and group membership. Found preschoolers believe minorities and people with unfamiliar clothing/dwellings are more likely to speak a foreign language; do not map social group differences to language for all categories; do not derive inferences from intelligibility; and identify common property in…

Describes how Estonian language and literature have been taught at Russian-language schools in Estonia. Notes a lack of interesting reading materials, and describes how this instruction could be improved. (SR)

An El Paso principal recounts her experience serving newly arrived Hispanic families and their children. Although highly motivated, recent immigrants may face special challenges that can affect their children's academic success. Principals can lesson intimidation by warmly welcoming families and can remove language/cultural barriers by providing…

A framework for analyzing the educational attainment of culturally and linguistically diverse students highlights ways in which power relations influence the negotiation of identity. Teacher-student interactions either reinforce coercive relations or promote collaborative ones. Ignoring the intersections of power and pedagogy reinforces coercive…

Explores commonalities between deaf children and children with English as an additional language in terms of discrimination, communication environments, and effects of mainstreaming. Examines the special needs of deaf children who are also ethnic and linguistic minorities. (SK)

Applies the concept of indigenous rights to language preservation through exploration of other European language debates in the western hemisphere, and provides general background on the ways in which Native-American languages have been suppressed and devalued. The experiences of the Kuna nation of Panama in reintroducing their native language are…

Examines some intergenerational changes in subordination (conditionals and subjunctive clauses) in a Cajun French community, exploring the gradual loss of nonindicative moods and the abandonment of finite clauses in subjunctive contexts in favor of innovative nonfinite clause types via a continuum of variation. (Author/MSE)

Used data from the National Education Longitudinal Study to examine the relationships among first language (not English), maintenance of that home language, English proficiency, and academic achievement. Results do not support speculation that home language proficiency would have persistent negative effects on English and other academic outcomes…