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As a scientific field, phonetics systematically analyzes human speech sounds using segmental distinctions and state of the art technology. Ideally, these analyses are based on cross-linguistic data from a wide variety of language families. This dissertation provides the first phonetic analysis of Southern Ute, a severely endangered Uto-Aztecan language and presents the only published discussion of language policies and revitalization efforts on the Southern Ute reservation, located in Southwestern Colorado. This research is important because although there are 1,419 enrolled members of the Southern Ute tribe, according to a 2002 informal language survey, there are only forty remaining speakers, who are all over the age of sixty. It is important to note that the previous work on Southern Ute, three dictionaries (Goss 1961, Givon 1979, Charney 1996), one grammar (Givon 1980), one dissertation (Goss 1972) and a collection of traditional narratives (Givon 1985), does not include phonetic analysis or discussion of language policy or revitalization efforts on the Southern Ute reservation. This research benefits the Southern Ute community, the linguistic community and other indigenous communities in two ways. First, it provides a model for phonetic analysis of an endangered language utilizing fluent speaker intuition about stress. Second, the language policies and revitalization discussion adds to revitalization resources especially in the area of curriculum development. In the theoretical domain, Southern Ute offers rich data. It is imperative that Southern Ute phonetic properties are analyzed, documented and archived before the small number of fluent speakers die, leaving no digital audio recordings behind for future generations.

This research investigates language use in Linguistic Landscapes (LLs) of an urban center of post-Soviet eastern Ukraine The major focus is on how the signs represent linguistic, social and ideological phenomena in the context of competing local, national, and global language ideologies with Ukrainian, Russian and English in Cyrillic and Roman scripts. More than 100 pictures of public signs were selected and analyzed, from more than one thousand photographs.Detailed analyses of the signs show that the `one state - one language' official language policy is not effective in the predominantly Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine: the signs frequently use Russian, and blend in Ukrainian. There were revealing differences between establishment categories. Bank signs were almost all in Ukrainian, because they are government regulated. In contrast, local clothing store signs used Russian, along with English and European languages to convey `modernity', `prestige' and `high fashion'; other establishment (casinos and electronics stores) mixed Russian and Ukrainian with some English. English and European languages with Roman script were also frequently used to `smooth over' the conflict between Ukrainian and Russian.The genetic closeness of Ukrainian and Russian allows a linguistic phenomenon that reconciles the languages, `bivalency'. Bivalency refers to shared linguistic elements between the languages, allowing the signs to appeal to the local population, while complying with the official Ukrainian language policy. This work analyzes and documents bivalency at phonological, morphological, and lexical levels, introducing a new sensitive tool for quantifying language dominance in signs.The overall conclusion is that signs in the LLs reveal that despite the official language policy, both Ukrainian and Russian appear in signs. In this way, Linguistic Landscapes may predict a future Ukraine in which both Russian and Ukrainian are accepted as official languages.This work contributes several new perspectives to the analyses of LLs. It demonstrates that LLs are multimodal, multilayered and multidimensional to be studied from a multidisciplinary perspective; the methodology integrates Critical Discourse Analysis and grounded theory; LLs are considered as texts analyzed on multiple discourse levels. The work invents and applies continua of bivalency as a multilevel phenomenon. The research focuses on LLs in eastern Ukraine.

Provides an overview of work on the effects of Quebec French (QF) on Quebec English (QE) since 1977. Argues that the framework used by sociolinguists is too narrow methodologically, excluding conversations in English between people whose first languages are different and ignoring the deliberate use of language for political effect. Examines some cognate nouns to show how meanings in QE have shifted because of knowledge of QF.

<p>This thesis aims to explore the ways in which space patterns regimes of language use and language attitudes among Cameroonian immigrant children in a primary school in Cape Town. The presence of migrants in any classroom represents a significant challenge from the theoretical as well as practical point of view, given that schools are responsible for both socialization and learning (Gajo &amp / Mondada 1996). Most African countries are going through large-scale migration from rural to urban areas as well as increasing transnational migration due to recent socio-economic and socio-political trends. These flows affect the sociolinguistic economy of the places concerned, not only the individuals within them. Thus immigrants&rsquo / movement into an urban area not only affects their repertoires, as they find themselves confronted with the task of acquiring the communicative resources of the autochthonous population, but also those of the autochthonous population who find themselves confronted with linguistic communicative processes and resources &lsquo / alien&rsquo / to their environment. Similar effects are felt by local educational and other institutions, now faced with learners with widely varying degrees of competence in the required communicative skills. The participants in this study are a group of young migrants from Cameroon where English and French are the two official languages. These learners already have some languages in their repertoire, which may include their mother tongue or either of the two official languages. My focus will be on the multilingual resources of these learners and how they make use of these in the daily life of their new spaces, the school, the homes and community spaces, to construct new social identities.</p>

<p>This study explores second and third year students' and teachers‟ views on factors that hinder or facilitate the mastery of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in the Science and Engineering Technology Higher Institutions of learning in Rwanda (KIST) and seeks to establish the extent to which the current programme meets the needs of the students. This is done by highlighting a whole range of teacher and student perspectives on the EAP programme. Two key requirements invite students to write their academic assignments in the form of research proposals and research project reports. In order to help them perform well in their field subjects, KIST introduced a department of English with a General English Programme under the umbrella of the then School of Language Studies (SORAS) in 1997. The department‟s first assigned mission was to teach English to students in all departments in a bid to support and encourage them to cope with their field specific courses which are taught in English. Rwanda‟s National Council for Higher Education (2007), on language teaching and learning, states that the trio, that is Kinyarwanda (the Mother Tongue and national language) and English and French (as foreign languages), should be taught at primary, secondary and higher education levels in order to reconcile the divide between Rwandan returnees (who had lived abroad for many decades) and locals. It is in this context that KIST, one of the institutions of higher learning, adopted the bilingual policy to cater to students‟ needs to learn both French and English as media of academic communication. However, after Rwanda‟s integration into the East African Community and the Commonwealth, English has been officially adopted as the medium of instruction in all schools and higher institutions of education. That is why there was a sudden language shift in 2006 from French to English as a medium of instruction at KIST. French and Kinyarwanda are now merely taught as subjects. The motive behind the move was to cater for Rwanda‟s needs to fully participate in the economic community of East African Community in general and in the global economy in particular. The move drastically affected students‟ ability to read and write English in their respective disciplines. The move also affected lecturers of other speciality areas. To avert the obvious challenges emanating from this sudden shift in language policy, the Institute introduced the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programmes under the then KIST School of Language Studies (SOLAS) and the KIST Language Centre. However, appropriate instructional materials for such courses have not been easily available. Given this situation, English teachers have had to create their own materials rather than the existing generalised and pre-packaged language teaching materials. As a result, students‟ specific needs for induction into a scientific writing community at tertiary level have rarely been met. It is against this background that the study seeks to investigate factors that are facilitating and the mastery of EAP. The study operates on post-colonial/post-structuralist theoretical perspectives. These were founded on the analytical framework that is guided by thematic and/or conceptual underpinnings of language policy in the post-colonial Africa. Thus, English Language Teaching (ELT), developed into English as a second and additional language that is multi-semiotic and multi-modality in EAP and science genres, focusing mostly on its academic literacy, identity, ideology, power and agency, as well as its investment in language teaching and learning and the scientific community practice. Using a combination of ethnographic principles/practices like participants‟ observations, oneto- one interviews, focus group discussions and documentary review in data collection, the study utilises thematic/conceptual analysis to draw its conclusions. Drawing from the above conceptual perspectives, therefore, as well as from the methodological approach, this thesis emphasises the fact that the inability of students to successfully master EAP is caused by various factors, including the choice of English language learning materials. Contradictory approaches to language learning and to academic literacy practices create further challenges to the Rwandan students‟ advancement in English mastery. These same practices also serve to limit the students‟ ability to learn this language and complicate their access to local and global cultural exposure that is necessary for their socio-economic development of Rwanda. The study also reveals lack of appropriate discursive competence and multi-semiotic repertoires as some of the major factors inhibiting students‟ academic progress. This is partly explained by the nature of the English language learning and teaching materials that is in use which neither provides general nor disciplinary specific academic and learning opportunities in English. Similarly, a range of structural and professional constraints on &bdquo / agency‟ exists for teachers of English in Rwanda as an additional language to the students, including lack of induction into scientific discourses or the EAP community of language practice. The overall lack of power and agency by teachers also contributes to constraints and constrictions in English language learning practices for these students in Rwanda. The study, however, observes that this situation is not only peculiar to KIST, as it is also common in almost all tertiary institutions in Rwanda. Specific recommendations are made in the study to improve the quality of English language learning and teaching in general and EAP in particular at KIST as an institution of higher learning, through the establishment of a clearer language policy and training opportunities for staff to update and develop required language skills in EAP, especially with regards to writing skills in sciences and engineering. The government of Rwanda, under the umbrella of Rwanda Education Board (REB) and the contribution of English language experts at the Institute, should provide a clearer direction of the language policy and curriculum that addresses Rwandan students‟ specific needs. KIST, as an institution of higher learning, should value and facilitate the teaching and learning of English in general and the teaching of EAP in particular, bearing in mind its assigned mission. The management of the Institute should encourage interaction between EAP and subject area lecturers to discuss and agree upon, text types to be used by EAP lecturers in teaching. KIST management should also provide room for regular interactions with English lecturers to listen to their views and offer them further language training opportunities in order to update and develop the required skills in EAP, especially with regards to writing skills in science and engineering.</p>

Although isiZulu has been accorded official status by the constitution of the country, the language continues to be marginalised in the private and public sectors. This illustrates that there is a considerable mismatch between the language policy on the one hand, and language practice on the other hand in these sectors. This is due largely to the problems associated with the practical implementation of the language policy. This study sets out to investigate the attitudes of Zulu and non-Zulu speakers at selected private and public sector institutions to gauge how these speakers feel about isiZulu and what can be done to promote the language in this region. Against this background, an empirical investigation comprising a questionnaire survey, which produced descriptive and inferential statistical data, was undertaken. Data were gathered by means of questionnaires from a random sample of Zulu and non-Zulu speakers from the eThekwini region. Semistructured interviews were conducted with Zulu and non-Zulu speakers at selected private and public sector institutions in this region. Data gathered from the semi-structured interviews were used to complement data from the questionnaires. The main findings indicate that among Zulu speakers, isiZulu has entrenched its position in the domestic domain because it is the main language of communication with family members, friends and neighbours. However, the language has not yet established itself in the commercial sector. The findings reveal that Zulu speakers are proud of isiZulu and they feel that the language has the potential to be used in all spheres of society. The majority of non-Zulu speakers on the other hand, consider isiZulu an important requirement for employment opportunities. They also feel that the isiZulu is going to play an important role in the future and it is imperative that people acquire the language so that they can communicate effectively with the majority in this region. Since the majority of Zulu speakers and non-Zulu speakers in this study display positive attitudes towards isiZulu it augurs well for the future development of the language. Based on the main findings, detailed recommendations are suggested to enhance the practical implementation of isiZulu in the eThekwini region and in other parts of KwaZulu-Natal. / Thesis (PhD.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

The study aims to investigate the extent to which isiZulu is promoted as a subject in the / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

Public policy can take a wide range of forms, from broad statements of goals to more specific statements of intention (De Clercq 1997 cited in Kallaway et al 1997). Policy can be expressed in speeches, official statements, court decisions, laws and regulations, all of which embody the authority to define goals and priorities. Policy also provides a framework for taking action and lends legitimacy to implementation and evaluation purposes (Ray and Poonwansie 1987 cited in Ovando, 1999). The outcomes of a policy depend critically on the resources allocated to its support and the institutional arrangements mobilized in its implementation. Despite the introduction and implementation of the new Language in Education Policy (1997), policies and legislation enacted by the new government in South Africa to redress the imbalances of the past, especially in terms of promoting the marginalized African languages, and recognising language diversity and choice, the status and use of African languages in schools has not improved. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the current language policy on an adult centre that is Phindangene Adult Centre. This study sought to investigate learners and teachers attitudes towards the Language In Education Policy. It also aimed to demonstrate how language choices were made at Phindangene AEC, and whose interests they served. Different research instruments were used for data collection. A written questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from the respondents. Observation and official records were also used to supplement this. This study showed that there was a big difference between the language policy of the country and language practice at Phindangene AEC. In the light of the major findings the study recommends the following: • Student's primary language should be incorporated into the instructional program. • A holistic approach to teacher development should be adopted which provides teachers with basic skills and concepts in curriculum development through seminars and workshops. • Much more effort should go into developing and providing learning materials and textbooks that are more appropriate to adult learners. • School governing bodies need to familiarize themselves with the new Language in Education Policy. • It is the responsibility of the Department of Education to make sure that each adult centre gets a copy of the language policy. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, 2002

This study examines the attitudes of learners, teachers, governing body members, principals and parents towards the implementation of isiZulu as a subject in selected Durban High Schools and its implications for language planning and policy in South Africa. The learners selected for the purposes of this study were in grade 8, 9, 10 and 11. Combinations of quantitative (interviews) and qualitative (questionnaires) research methods are used to research the topic. Questionnaires were administered to learners, teachers and parents. Interviews were used to complement data obtained from the questionnaires. Interviews were conducted with learners, teachers, governing body members, principals and parents. An important finding of this study is that the majority of learners, teachers, principals, governing body members, and principals have expressed positive attitudes towards isiZulu and view it as an important language in KwaZulu-Natal. Most isiZulu language learners, parents and teaches view isiZulu as important for their culture and identity. The majority of non-isiZulu speakers perceive isiZulu as a language for wider communication in KwaZulu-Natal. The study found that there is a need for more support from the Department of Education to be more actively involved in the promotion of isiZulu in schools. There is also a shortage of trained teachers and teaching material in isiZulu. This study also established that some governing body members have limited knowledge of language policies at their schools. Most learners, teachers, principals, governing body members and parents expressed that it would be better for learners if they started learning isiZulu from primary school instead of high school. Some schools articulated that there appear to be different standards of isiZulu expected from schools and the Department of Education. The findings led to the following recommendations which are aimed at enhancing and promoting the status of isiZulu in KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa as a whole. • The Department of Education needs to be more involved in the promotion of isiZulu in KwaZulu-Natal • More educators have to be trained in the teaching of isiZulu • More educational material in isiZulu needs to be created and provided • IsiZulu needs to be invested with more intensively • The status of isiZulu in primary schools needs to be investigated • The role of governing body members needs to be evaluated • A common standard for isiZulu needs to be established / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.