Language and Political Conflict

Ethnolinguistic conflict is an increasingly important phenomenon, both in new states of Central Asia and Eastern Europe as well as in such established states as the UK and France. To understand the sources of ethnolinguistic conflict and the possibility for alternatives to violence, it is important to examine the historical development of conflict. Why does ethnolinguistic difference lead, in some cases, to violence? What is the role of political leadership in supporting or reducing violent conflict associated with ethnicity and language? How do political leaders in some contexts use ethnolinguistic issues for their own political purposes? This article examines a recent, important case of ethnolinguistic conflict: the violent breakup of Yugoslavia. Focusing on language policy, the article traces the shift from pluralist language policies to centralist policies, and argues that this shift was part of a strategy of Serbian leaders to mobilize the population along ethnolinguistic lines, to gain control of the federal government in Belgrade, and to bring about the dissolution of the Yugoslav state

Scholarship and Activism on Language

Language teachers and language researchers have the most detailedand reliable knowledge about language in society, yet in manylanguage-policy debates, teachers and researchers play only amarginal role. Instead, public discussion of language is oftendominated by anecdote rather than research evidence, disorganizedanalysis of language problems, and a disregard for the expertise oflanguage professionals. This paper proposes explanations for thefailure of language professionals to have impact on language policy byfocusing on the tension between two competing responsibilities oflanguage professionals: to develop theoretically sound understandingsof language in society, and to apply those understandings to thesolution of important language problems. It is argued that threeimportant factors affect language-policy debates: tension between the“objectivity” of scientific research and the demands of social activism;the role of “common sense” in policy discussion; and the failure oflanguage specialists to understand how to be effective in the rough-and-tumble struggles of language politics

Monitoring water and salt movement during a leaching irrigation using time domain reflectometry

Non-Peer ReviewedTime domain reflectometry (TDR) has become an accepted method of measuring soil water content. Laboratory results have indicated that it may also be possible to measure soil electrical conductivity (EC) using TDR. The objectives of this experiment were to investigate the utility of TDR as a field measurement of EC and to illustrate a potential application of the technique. Field research was conducted at the Saskatchewan Irrigation Development Centre on a field which has been reclaimed from salinity over the past 10 years by the installation of tile drains and a fall leaching program. To test the accuracy of bulk soil EC measurements made by TDR (ECr), EC was also measured on water samples from suction lysimeters which sampled at the same depths as the TDR waveguides and converted to a bulk soil basis (EC8). Comparisons between ECT and EC8 were made three times during the 1992 growing season (when the soil was relatively dry) and four times during the fall leaching period (when the soil was much wetter). ECr was significantly correlated (p<0.001) to EC8. However, the measurement of ECT was affected by soil moisture content and an empirical function had to be used to eliminate this source of variability. Good agreement (R2=0.93) was obtained between ECT and EC8 when this function was applied. During the leaching irrigation, water and salt movement was monitored by TDR. At most sites, a salt bulge could be clearly identified moving downward through the profile as the volume of water applied increased. With further investigation into the relationship between ECT and water content, the rapid simultaneous measurement of water content and electrical conductivity made possible by TDR should prove useful in studies of salt movement

Carbon Emission Flow in Networks

As the human population increases and production expands, energy demand and anthropogenic carbon emission rates have been growing rapidly, and the need to decrease carbon emission levels has drawn increasing attention. The link between energy production and consumption has required the large-scale transport of energy within energy transmission networks. Within this energy flow, there is a virtual circulation of carbon emissions. To understand this circulation and account for the relationship between energy consumption and carbon emissions, this paper introduces the concept of “carbon emission flow in networks” and establishes a method to calculate carbon emission flow in networks. Using an actual analysis of China's energy pattern, the authors discuss the significance of this new concept, not only as a feasible approach but also as an innovative theoretical perspective

Balanced Literacy in an Urban School District

This is the authors' accepted manuscript, post peer-review. The publisher's official version is available electronically from: http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/JOER.98.5.272-280.Balanced literacy is a philosophical orientation that assumes that reading and writing achievement are developed through instruction and support in multiple environments using various approaches that differ by level of teacher support and child control. This study describes one urban school district’s real-world attempt to create a balance between reading and writing, between teacher-directed and student-centered activities, and between skillsbased and meaning based approaches to literacy instruction. A triangulation strategy using multiple methods of data collection, including classroom observations, inventories of the physical environment of classrooms and school buildings, teacher surveys, and student interviews, was used to measure balanced literacy components. Results suggest that teacherdirected instruction, a fundamental aspect of balanced literacy, was implemented less often than either independent reading or writing activities. Teachers appeared to be allocating instructional time as directed by district administrators, and they were implementing components of a balanced literacy program. Additionally, most school buildings had a physical environment supportive of balanced literacy. However, the amount of time devoted to instruction and modeling effective reading and writing strategies seemed too limited for a group of students with poorly developed reading and writing skills

Representation and Legitimization in Political Discourse: The Campaign against Bilingual Education

In many university reading and discussion classes, students are taught to critically examine logical arguments and the use of evidence in persuasive texts. Although these skills are important in reading and writing, many persuasive texts, including common forms of political discourse, rely on discursive processes that routinely violate the standards of logic and scientific discourse. To analyze such texts, students should develop skills in critical discourse analysis (CDA). This article examines two important processes in CDA: representation and legitimization. Examples from the campaign against bilingual education in the United States demonstrate how analysis of representation and legitimization offers students useful tools for analyzing persuasive texts and for understanding the structure and impact of political discourse

"Talking Race" in University Classes: A Discourse Analytical Approach

Many university classes introduce issues of race and racism –topics that are difficult for some people to discuss openly. The ICUELP Program, for example, includes challenging readings on raceand racism as a focus for class discussion and writing assignments.In this article, we discuss an approach to the analysis of race andracism that can help students apply their critical thinking skills tothis important topic. We argue that focusing on the discourse ofrace offers rich opportunities for class discussion and studentwriting. Specifically, we summarize critical discourse analysis,particularly its understanding of the concept of “racism,” and weprovide suggestions and examples for its use in class

Les Houches Guidebook to Monte Carlo Generators for Hadron Collider Physics

Recently the collider physics community has seen significant advances in the formalisms and implementations of event generators. This review is a primer of the methods commonly used for the simulation of high energy physics events at particle colliders. We provide brief descriptions, references, and links to the specific computer codes which implement the methods. The aim is to provide an overview of the available tools, allowing the reader to ascertain which tool is best for a particular application, but also making clear the limitations of each tool.Comment: 49 pages Latex. Compiled by the Working Group on Quantum ChromoDynamics and the Standard Model for the Workshop ``Physics at TeV Colliders'', Les Houches, France, May 2003. To appear in the proceeding