Publisher's Synopsis
It was found in the Language Census of 1987 that there were 172 different languages spoken by children in Inner London Education Authority Schools.;In this volume, the descriptions of different speech communities draws attention to the cultural renewals taking place within the value frame of each community. In its attempt to chart the dimensions of linguistic diversity in the British Isles, contributors look at those groups of the population whose linguistic background is African, Asian or from the Middle East. The four sections cover West African and Caribbean languages, before moving on to the South Asian speech communities from Bengali and Gujarati to Sinhala and Tamil. The volume includes discussions of East Asia, ranging from Filipino to Vietnamese, and the Farsi and Hebrew speech communities in the Middle East. Each chapter covers the history and origin of the language; its status in the homeland; its strength and vitality; the cultural and community factors which support its use; and the role of both community and mainstream education.
