sociolinguistics endangered languages : current issues and future prospects endangered languages : current issues and future prospects ; isbn : 0-521 - 59102 - 3 ; hardback , 6 x 9 , 380 pp . ; lenore a . grenoble , ed . ( dartmouth college ) ; publisher : cambridge university press ; $ 69 . 95 ; the issue of language loss is currently the focus of much linguistic research . this edited volume brings together work by theoretical linguists , field linguists and nonlinguist members of minority communities to provide an integrated view of how language is lost , from sociological and economic as well as from linguistic perspectives . it maps out some of the strategies applied by native communities and professional linguists in the face of language endangerment . several authors address the understudied issue of what ( beyond a linguistic system ) is lost when a language becomes obsolescent . contents : preface part i . general issues : 1 . western language ideologies and small-language prospects nancy dorian ; 2 . toward a typology of language endangerment lenore grenoble , lindsay whaley ; part ii . language community responses : 3 . technical , emotional , and ideological issues in reversing language shift : examples from southeast alaska nora and richard dauenhauer ; 4 . mayan efforts toward language preservation nora england ; 5 . a chronology of mohawk language instruction at kahnaw : ke kaia ' titahkhe annette jacobs ; 6 . language endangerment in south america : a programmatic approach colette grinevald ; part iii . what is lost : language diversity : 7 . the significance of diversity in language endangerment and preservation marianne mithun ; 8 . on endangered languages and the importance of linguistic diversity ken hale ; 9 . living words and cartoon translations : longhouse " texts " and the limitations of english christopher jocks ; 10 . documenting rhetorical , aesthetic , and expressive loss in language shift anthony woodbury ; part iv . mechanisms of language loss : 11 . impact of language variation and accomodation theory on language maintenance : an analysis of shaba swahili andr ^ d ' e kapa ! nga ; 12 . a way to dusty death : the matrix language turnover hypoth 13 . copper island aleut : a case of language ' resurrection ' nikolai vakhtin ; references ; index of languages ; index of names ; general index . ; order info : http : / / www . cup . org / order . html the language web : the power and problem of words jean aitchison ( university of oxford ) ; the language web : the power and problem of words ; the 1996 bbc reith lectures ; isbn : 0-521 - 57385 - 8 ; hardback , 5 1 / 4 x 8 , 152 pp . ; pub . date : 4 / 13 / 97 ; publisher : cambridge university press ; $ 49 . 95 ; language is like a vast interconnected spider 's web . in this volume jean aitchison explores the different facets of this web , ranging from its biological nature and the way in which language is acquired by children to the way the web has aided language evolution . this is the text of the 1996 bbc reith lectures , with the addition of illustrations , suggestions for further reading and notes . an afterword looks at the reception of the lectures . contents : 1 . a web of worries : anxiety about language ; 2 . a web of deceit : the origin of language ; 3 . building the web : acquiring language ; 4 . a web of words : remembering words ; 5 . a world-wide web : options and snares . ; order info : http : / / www . cup . org / order . html english as a global language david crystal ; english as a global language ; isbn : 0-521 - 59247 - x ; hardback , 5 1 / 2 x 8 1 / 2 , 160 pp . ; publisher : cambridge university press ; $ 19 . 95 ; david crystal , world authority on the english language , has written a timely and informative account of the phenomenon of english as a global language . it includes a historical summary of the global facts and figures , of the current spread and status of english as a first or second language internationally ; and an informed assessment of the future of english . the book answers three basic questions : what makes a world language ? why is english the leading candidate ? and why it will continue to hold that position . it steers even-handedly through the minefield of political debate about the cultural hegemony of english , and will appeal to anyone with an interest in language issues , whatever their political views on the subject . order info : http : / / www . cup . org / order . html