An examination of the language-related educational policies of South Asia, and particularly of India, finds that language policies among colonial administrators and the native elite for over a century has left a deep imprint on contemporary language ideologies of different nations. The discussion begins with a look at the Indian dual education…

This issue includes the following articles: "Detaching Discourse Functions from Functional Projections" (Dora Alexopoulou); "Interface Conditions on Child Language: A Crosslinguistic Look at Genitives" (Sharon Armon-Lotem, Stephen Crain); "Formal Features and Movement at PF" (Ralph C. Blight); "Semantic Features…

This bulletin reports on the contributions of the Federal Government to the improvement of language and area studies. This report indicates that two fundamental conclusions have become readily apparent: (1) non-Western studies have received material assistance under the National Defense Education Act of 1958 (NDEA) without which the present high…

Discusses a survey designed to ascertain parent and student attitudes regarding second-language learning in high school and to determine the popularity of Indonesian, if offered. Findings reveal that Japanese is the preferred language, parental attitude is important, cultural background greatly influences language preference and students…

Examines the quantitative conditioning of English lone nouns of one language used in discourse in Ukrainian in a Canadian setting. Results yield a synchronic portrait of the integrated loanword, even when it bears no surface indication of that integration, is neither recurrent nor widespread, and has no history of attestation or other status in…

Examines the phenomenon of language obsolescence by focusing on Breton- and non-Breton-speakers in France. Investigates linguistic preference, intergenerational transmission and attitudes towards language planning in an attempt to determine the extent to which the speakers themselves are catalysts in the process of language death. (27 references)…

Examines Israeli-Druze students' reading comprehension in Hebrew as a second language as related to their attitudes, cultural background, and interest in the material. Participants were administered questionnaires, Arab and Jewish cultural stories, and multiple-choice questions about each story. Results are discussed. (51 references) (Author/CK)

Investigated whether children's syllabification of Dutch disyllabic words with a single intervocalic consonant adhered to the universal principles of syllable structure and whether these syllabifications witnessed an overruling of the universal phonological constraints by language-specific ones. Results indicate that universal principles explain…

Second language learners of English responded to a questionnaire requiring them to identify the antecedent of a reflexive pronoun. Responses were compared to those of a native speaker control group, and first language transfer and recapitulation of first language acquisition were examined. (24 references) (Author/OD)

Compares the position of ethnic minority languages versus Frisian in Dutch primary schools, and considers the roles of legislation, educational models, minority language usage, language attitudes, pressure groups, teacher quality, instructional materials, and the serious lack of basic research data on the acquisition, use, shift, and loss of…

Reports on studies focusing on individual attrition of English as a Second Language in an environment where Hebrew is the dominant language. Age, sociolinguistic features, input variables, and linguistic variables are discussed as well as major trends of change in language use that identify a limited reversal of the acquisition process. 29…

Explores what it means to think in a target language, discusses those factors determining planned and unplanned use of more than one language for thinking, considers the role of target-language thinking in improving language ability, and examines mental translation in the reading of intermediate college French. The article concludes that benefits…

Presents general background on the Israeli Circassians and focuses on a study of Circassian pupils in Kfar Kama, the larger of the two Circassian villages in Israel. This study confirms the solid self-identity and firmly entrenched position of the mother tongue among the Circassians of Israel. Additional study is planned. (35 references)…

Examines the recent evolution of three indigenous languages in Eastern Canada (Ojibway, Mohawk, and Inuktitut), focusing on efforts to revive and maintain indigenous languages. Discusses linguistic and cultural identity, ownership, and change in indigenous communities. (39 references) (MDM)

Using comparative data from two Navajo community-school contexts, this article details the conditions within these and similar contexts that enable schools to authentically use and validate the local language. Six social engineering strategies are presented as a means to build dual-language programs. (seven references) (MDM)