The study reported here focused on the uses of the word Esperanto in selected English, French, and German newspapers over an 18-month period. Most uses were metaphorical: generally positive in articles on arts or technology, generally negative in political contexts. (Author/VWL)

Concerns the interrelation between the theoretical status and the social dimensions of syntactic variation in Heerlen Dutch. Syntactic variation of Heerlen Dutch consists of a range of dative constructions that are unacceptable in standard Dutch. (Author/JL)

Provides an overview of language planning and the sociolinguistic environment in East Timor. Suggests that those with responsibility for planning show no interest in any holistic or global approach that might take into account all the indigenous languages of the region. (Author/VWL)

Discusses the design and implementation of the Kamusi Project Edit Engine, a Web-based software system uniquely suited to the needs of Swahili collaborative lexicography. Describes the edit engine, including organization of the lexicon and the mechanics by which participants use the system, discusses philosophical issues confronted in the design,…

Discusses ideologies of language and the division of labor in nineteenth century Wales, where the slate quarries drew their labor exclusively from monoglot Welsh populations. The division between labor and capital in these quarries correlated to a virtually categorical linguistic opposition between Welsh quarriers and English owners, with the…

Examined the syntactic behavior of wh-operators in Kenyang, a Bantu language. Following Chomsky's minimalist programme (1993, 1995), describes the nature of universal grammar and accounts for certain specific parametrized variations of that system into the nature of interrogative structures in Kenyang. (Author/VWL)

Argues that young Danes are changing the notion of standard Danish. Data gathered in the Danish town of Naestved indicated standard Danish is moving in the direction of low Copenhagen speech. Suggests that young Danes operate with two standards when it comes to language: one for school where excellence is perceived in terms of superiority; and one…

Presents evidence from English loans in Chichewa (Bantu), which shows that the recipient language is not a passive participant in the borrowing process: the borrowing language makes various modifications to the loan words to make them fit in the grammatical structure as well as cultural requirements of the recipient language. (Author/VWL)

To examine the perceptual acquisition of Thai voice and aspiration contrasts, Canadian native English and native French speakers were taught 18 Thai words and then tested midpoint during training, on the day following training, and after one week with no exposure to Thai. Results indicated that both groups lexically represented voice contrasts…

Addresses the issue of swearing, in the sense of oath taking, as a very frequent speech act in daily conversations in Jordan. A corpus of oaths exchanged by interlocutors in real-life contexts is analyzed. Shows that swearing exhibits an extensive amount of variation in form, usage, and function. (Author/VWL)

Provides an overview of the topic of this special issue of the journal--discourse markers in bilingual conversation. Introduces the studies included in the issue, which investigate discourse markers in bilingual conversation from a variety of perspectives. As a whole the articles document the phenomenon of language alternation at discourse markers…

Examines data recorded in Shaba, a province in the Congo, and documents the marked preference to employ French discourse markers in Shaba Swahili discourse. Treats discourse markers as a special kind of contextualization cue that ties parts of a discourse to each other, creating cohesion and coherence. (Author/VWL)

Argues for a cognitive motivation behind the nonseparation of systems of discourse marking available to bilinguals. Produces evidence that bilingual speakers, in an unconscious effort to reduce the mental effort necessary to monitor and direct the hearer's responses and reactions to the speaker's utterances, can simplify monitoring-and-directing…

Discusses the use of the Internet for teaching Brazilian Portuguese and Latin American Studies. Includes descriptions of 16 self-directed lesson plans, as well as a link for access to download and use any or all of the plans. (Author/VWL)

Discusses SEAsite, a Web-based interactive learning resource site for Southeast Asian Languages (Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai., Khmer, Lao, Burmese, and Vietnamese). Its language learning materials feature second language script support, streaming audio, pictures, and interactive exercise types that allow learners to test their understanding.…