The notion of empire is associated with economic and political mechanisms of dominance. For the last decades, however, there has been a lively debate concerning the question whether this concept can be transferred to the field of linguistics, specifically to research on situations of language spread on the one hand and concomitant marginalization of minority languages on the other. The authors who contributed to this volume concur as to the applicability of the notion of empire to language-related issues. They address the processes, potential merits and drawbacks of language spread as well as the marginalization of minority languages, language endangerment and revitalization, contact-induced language change, the emergence of mixed languages, and identity issues. An emphasis is on the dominance of non-Western languages such as Arabic, Chinese, and, particularly, Russian. The studies demonstrate that the emergence, spread and decline of language empires is a promising area of research, particularly from a comparative perspective.

This volume is the result of a colloquium on socio-political dimensions of language policy and language planning held at the 1997 American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAAL) Conference. The focus is on language planning and policy in the USA, but the issues raised will be applicable to other parts of the world as well. Three broad issues are addressed: general aspects, case studies dealing with certain languages or ethnic groups, and language planning in practice. The first, general, part, provides a historical analysis of language planning and language policy in the US, and proceeds to deal with maintenance and loss of indigenous languages, and the constraints imposed by current policies and how these constraints can be effectively dealt with. The second part contains a number of case studies. It discusses aspects of planning policies pertaining to pidgin languages, gestural languages used by the deaf (ASL) and constraints in foreign language education; this part also raises issues relating to ethnic groups, concentrating on the position of Mexicans and Puerto Ricans in the US. In the third part some practical issues are raised by looking into the role of language and culture in teaching reading, foreign language policy in higher education, Hawaiian language regenisis, and gender neutralization in American English. The book is a tribute to Charlene Junko Sato, a sociolinguist and a language activist. She died in 1996 and will be remembered for her work not only in linguistics, but also for her dedication in advancing Hawaiian Pidgin, influencing language policy through various publications and court-room appearances.

This volume explores the shared expectations that education is a panacea for the difficulties that refugees and their receiving countries face. This book investigates the ways in which education is both a dream solution as well as a contested landscape for refugee families and students. Using comparative, cross-national perspectives across five continents, the editors and contributors critically analyze the educational structures, policies, and practices intended to support refugee youth transition from conflict and post-conflict zones to mainstream classrooms and schools in their new communities.

This publication reflects the outcomes of a project which brought together experts and practitioners in the field of linguistic diversity and literacy from European and African countries with a view to opening a dialogue, to taking a comparative perspective and defining possible areas of mutually enriching co-operation and exchange. The question of promoting low-status and non-dominant languages in education is the core concern of contributions in this volume which also encompasses topics such as language awareness, stimulating and encouraging a reading culture in low-status languages and developing criteria for teaching and learning materials that respect linguistic diversity and promote multilingualism. Examples of good practice in valuing African languages include an awareness raising campaign in Cameroon, NGO activities promoting literary production in Senegalese languages, the Stories Across Africa Project (StAAf) as well as initiatives of North-South cooperation in the fields of teacher training and materials development. This publication was conceptualised as a contribution to the African Union's Year of African Languages 2006/07.

This edited volume brings together 10 cutting-edge empirical studies on the realities of English language learning, teaching and testing in a wide range of global contexts where English is an additional language. It covers three themes: learners’ development of interactional competence, the organization of teaching and testing practices, and sociocultural and ideological forces that may impact classroom interaction. With a decided focus on English-as-a-Foreign-Language contexts, the studies involve varied learner populations, from children to young adults to adults, in different learning environments around the world. The insights gained will be of interest to EFL professionals, as well as teacher trainers, policymakers and researchers.

This is the first international and interdisciplinary handbook to offer a comprehensive and an in-depth overview of findings from contemporary research, theory, and practice in early childhood language education in various parts of the world and with different populations. The contributions by leading scholars and practitioners are structured to give a survey of the topic, highlight its importance, and provide a critical stance. The book covers preschool ages, and looks at children belonging to diverse ethno-linguistic groups and experiencing different histories and pathways of their socio-linguistic and socio-cultural development and early education. The languages under the scope of this handbook are identified by the contributors as immigrant languages, indigenous, endangered, heritage, regional, minority, majority, and marginalized, as well as foreign and second languages, all of which are discussed in relation to early language education as the key concept of the handbook. In this volume, “early language education” will refer to any kind of setting, both formal and informal (e.g. nursery, kindergarten, early childhood education centers, complementary early schooling etc.) in which language learning within a context of children's sociolinguistic diversity takes place before elementary school.

Language, Literacy, and Cognitive Development addresses the impact of language and literacy on cognitive development. Top researchers examine the cognitive significance of the growth in children's ability to express themselves symbolically, whether that involves communicating linguistically, mathematically, logically, or through some other symbol system expressed in speech, gesture, notations, or some other means. The book contributes to refining and answering questions regarding the nature, origin, and development of symbolic communication in all its forms, and their consequences for the cognitive development of the younger child at home and the older child at school.

A systematic examination of language policies in Canada based on domestic and international comparisons.

ELT, a vast and growing field of research, has now moved beyond primary concerns related to developing learners’ proficiency in the language and designing curricula, syllabi, materials and assessment tools. It is witnessing rapid development towards de-centralizing and de-elitizing English, promoting multilingual approaches for teaching English and bridging the gap between language-in-education policies and practices. Critical Issues in ELT compiles research papers by linguists, language teachers, and English language teaching professionals to present contemporary debates on critical issues related to English language teaching, primarily in India. The subject matter of this book includes a variety of articles based on empirical data. It discusses the challenges facing ELT today and also includes papers discussing theoretical positions/frameworks/issues in ELT, classroom-based action research projects, and personal narratives. Print edition not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan or Bhutan)