Scholars of language and communication in general, specific languages, history, and several social sciences examine a variety of language- related social problems that affect people in real situations. Exploring the causes, processes, and outcomes of conflict, they find that language is at the heart of a number of social issues, such as access to economic opportunity and education, eliminating prejudice and bias, individual and group identity, and sharing in a society's power structures. The 15 essays are from a November 1998 conference at Ohio State University. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)