Showing papers in "Current Issues in Language Planning in 2008"
TL;DR: The authors provides an overview of the language situation in the three Baltic countries: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, examining the recent change in language regimes that the Baltic States have deliberately brought about since the restitution of their independence, the nature of these changes, the opposition they have engendered and the linguistic, political and social consequences of these policies, both locally and internationally.
Abstract: This monograph provides an overview of the language situation in the three Baltic countries: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It examines the recent change in language regimes that the Baltic States have deliberately brought about since the restitution of their independence, the nature of these changes, the opposition they have engendered and the linguistic, political and social consequences of these policies, both locally and internationally. First, an overview is provided on the historical background to contextualise and present language policy issues in the Baltic. Then attempts to overturn major aspects of Soviet language policy and to re-institute the national language are highlighted. Aspects of the current language situation covered include a special focus on bilingual and multilingual language use in the Baltic multiethnic settings. Detailed attention is also paid to language provision in the diverging educational settings, as well as to methods of assessment. This is followed by a discussion of att...
108 citations
TL;DR: The authors discusses the language situation in Japan, with an emphasis on language planning and policy, and concludes with some thoughts on how language planning in Japan might develop in the future, with a focus on language spread and maintenance through education system and other means.
Abstract: This monograph discusses the language situation in Japan, with an emphasis on language planning and policy. Japan has long considered itself to be a monoethnic and therefore monolingual society, despite the existence of substantial old-comer ethnic minorities, and this – with the instrumental exception of English – has been reflected in its language planning and policy until quite recently. Increasing immigration (and hence emergent new-comer multilingualism), technological advances affecting the way people write and a perceived need to improve the teaching of English, however, mean that policies have begun to undergo a rethink. This monograph is divided into three main sections. Under the language profile of Japan I discuss in detail the national language and minority languages; the next section discusses language spread and maintenance through the education system and other means; and I conclude with some thoughts on how language planning and policy might develop in the future. My aim is to give readers...
56 citations
34 citations
TL;DR: The authors discusses the different effects arising from deliberations on language policy in conferences dominated by professionals compared with the interests, priorities and demands of geo-political and military security coming from defense interests.
Abstract: This article discusses the different effects arising from deliberations on language policy in conferences dominated by professionals compared with the interests, priorities and demands of geo-political and military security coming from defense interests. The paper proposes a three dimensional way to understand language policy: text, discourse and performance, and discusses strains and tensions placed on language policy that aims to serve explicit security agendas. Such tensions and strains are particularly strong for those languages spoken by minority populations who are sometimes forced into ambivalence between local and national identity, citizenship loyalty and the promotion and retention of needed language skills. Technical or rationalist approaches to language planning analysis fail to capture the performative and discursive dimensions of language planning under such strains, remaining at the descriptive level of policy texts and their formal declarations of intent. Community or heritage language act...
29 citations
TL;DR: This article examined the practical language policy approaches that can be used to plan for tolerability in minority language regeneration policy in New Zealand, Wales and Catalonia, and found that planning for tolerance is in fact currently occurring in all of these language situations.
Abstract: The attitudes and behaviours of majority language speakers have an important impact on minority languages, and it has been claimed that the long-term success of minority language initiatives may only be achievable if some degree of favourable opinion, or ‘tolerability’, of these initiatives is secured among majority language speakers. Once the problem of tolerability has been recognised in a minority language situation, however, how can language planners address it? The literature has tended to concentrate on the theoretical arguments that need to be conveyed to majority language speakers in order to improve the tolerability of minority languages. In contrast, there has been little consideration of what practical language policy approaches can be used to ‘plan for tolerability’. An analysis of recent language regeneration policy in New Zealand, Wales and Catalonia reveals that planning for tolerability is in fact currently occurring in all of these language situations. This article examines the various ap...
28 citations
TL;DR: The role and significance of speech-language pathology (SLP) is not often considered in studies of language planning as mentioned in this paper.However, the health focus of SLP does interact with language planning especially in education where SLP assessments have implications for language-in-education planning in local contexts and in the development of literacy programmes and educational interventions in schools.
Abstract: The role and significance of speech-language pathology (SLP) is not often considered in studies of language planning SLP has tended to be considered more as an issue for health policy than for language policy However, the health focus of SLP does interact with language planning especially in education where SLP assessments have implications for language-in-education planning in local contexts and in the development of literacy programmes and educational interventions in schools It is in the case of assessment in educational contexts in which the concerns of SLP and language planning come closest together This paper will discuss the implementation of language assessment policies within one rural Aboriginal community school in Australia These policies have had the effect of medicalising non-standard language systems and increasing existing power imbalances between the Aboriginal people and the non-Aboriginal education system This has resulted in significant detrimental impacts being experienced by the
17 citations
TL;DR: The authors reviewed developments and future challenges in language policy, planning and assessment in Finland, where several important changes in legislation, curricula and assessment systems have recently taken place, such as the Common European Framework has been particularly influential.
Abstract: This paper reviews developments and future challenges in language policy, planning and assessment in Finland, where several important changes in legislation, curricula and assessment systems have recently taken place. Language proficiency requirement of immigrants and civil servants have been redefined, school curricula have been revised and new language examinations have been developed. The Common European Framework has been particularly influential. The paper also explores the tensions caused by changes, such as uncertainties in implementing new curricula in teaching and assessment, and differences between curricula and national examinations. The gate-keeping function of examinations also raises questions about social and educational consequences, especially for immigrants.
17 citations
TL;DR: The history of the role of assessment in policy-making for languages education in Australia over the past 20 years is characterised by a complex and shifting interface between language policy, curriculum and assessment.
Abstract: The history of the role of assessment in policy-making for languages education in Australia over the past 20 years is characterised by a complex and shifting interface between language policy, curriculum and assessment. Three phases can be identified during which significant changes occur. These highlight an ongoing struggle for legitimacy for languages as an area of study and for its intrinsic diversity. Common themes in this account include the relationship and tensions between (1) language policy and general educational policy, (2) national and State/Territory-based educational developments in Australia, and (3) the influence and consequences of both inclusion and exclusion from nationwide assessment in education. The paper demonstrates the ways in which the dominant discourses at particular moments of history shape educational policies and practices which, in turn, operate to shape the place and status of languages learning in school education of children.
14 citations
TL;DR: This paper provided an overview of language policy and language rights for Frisian language in education and compared it with other minority language communities in the field of educati... from the perspective of education.
Abstract: Frisian, a unique minority language in the Netherlands, is in the middle ranks of threatened European minority languages in Europe. In recent decades a framework for language policy has been developed in which the educational domain is one of the spearheads. This article provides an overview of language policy and language rights for Frisian language in education. After a brief outline of the sociolinguistic context, a detailed description is given of the development of policy for language education in relation to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. A wider perspective is offered by comparing the case of Frisian with some other European minority languages. The legal obligation to teach Frisian as a subject may seem to place the language among the stronger minorities in the European Union, but the implementation of the minority language as medium of instruction is fairly marginal. From the comparison with other minority language communities it becomes clear that in the field of educati...
14 citations
TL;DR: In an attempt to unify the nation’s naturalisation policies, Germany has introduced compulsory language tests as a prerequisite for citizenship as mentioned in this paper, and reactions to this new policy have been sharply divided.
Abstract: In an attempt to unify the nation’s naturalisation policies, Germany has introduced compulsory language tests as a prerequisite for citizenship. Reactions to this new policy have been sharply divided. After a brief introduction to the sociocultural demography of modern Germany, critical insights are provided into controversial use of literacy as a post-9/11 pre-condition of citizenship. A detailed description is given of cross-regional variations in policy implementation. To do this, a contrastive case study is provided of Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt. Finally, conclusions are drawn regarding the use of language proficiency as a societal mediator of public rights and privileges.
11 citations
TL;DR: The history of language planning in Brazil, the only Portuguese speaking country in South America, is shown to have been decisively influenced at every critical moment by prevailing geopolitical interests as discussed by the authors, and recent attempts to rid the Portuguese language of all foreign influences, notably borrowings from English, must also be seen from this perspective.
Abstract: The history of language planning in Brazil, the only Portuguese speaking country in South America, is shown to have been decisively influenced at every critical moment by prevailing geopolitical interests. Sharing borders with nine out of the 11 countries that, together with it, make up the continent, Brazil has always been attentive to perceived threats to its national security, coming whether from the inside or from the outside. The question of preserving and propagating its national language across its territory was, right from the beginning, a matter of national security. Recent attempts to rid the Portuguese language of all foreign influences, notably borrowings from English, it is argued, must also be seen from this perspective.
TL;DR: Among American Indian Pueblo tribes, community-based language revitalization initiatives have been established in response to a growing language shift towards English as discussed by the authors, which has been most prominent among school age children, prompting some tribes to extend tribal language programmes into local public schools.
Abstract: Among American Indian Pueblo tribes, community-based language revitalisation initiatives have been established in response to a growing language shift towards English. This has been most prominent among school age children, prompting some tribes to extend tribal language programmes into local public schools. For centuries, the transmission of Pueblo Indian languages has depended solely on oral language traditions. This continues to be the foundation for tribal language initiatives with the primary goal being that of maintaining language and culture. The socio-cultural aspects of language use in family and community provide the context for language instruction in these programmes. Several of these programmes, recently established in schools, receive supplemental funding provided through state bilingual education funds. However, this has also ushered in new requirements for assessing the native language proficiency of students participating in these programmes, thereby creating new challenges for Pueblo com...
TL;DR: This paper examined various aspects of these two models, using data gathered on six local language communities in Senegal, West Africa, and offered observations regarding the utility of the two paradigms for framing the language development task in sub-Saharan Africa.
Abstract: Appropriate models for understanding the dynamics of language use in society are essential to effective language policy and planning. Particularly in African contexts, such models must speak to the unique features of multilingual environments, and they must account for the differences in prestige and value which occur between languages in these contexts. Two paradigms of language and identity that are under discussion in Africa today are the language rights and linguistic citizenship paradigms. These two paradigms describe the social and political aspects of minority language use in very different ways. This paper examines various aspects of these two models, using data gathered on six local language communities in Senegal, West Africa. It explores the applicability of the two models to the realities of these communities and their national context, and offers observations regarding the utility of the two for framing the language development task in sub-Saharan Africa.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss how schools have responded to the needs of an increasingly multilingual environment by analysing new procedures and by drawing on interviews conducted with stakeholders in the area.
Abstract: Debates surrounding linguistic heritage in Northern Ireland have primarily centred on Irish (Gaelic) and Ulster-Scots. However, closer analysis suggests that there have long been other languages spoken in the region. Cantonese, Mandarin, Polish, Lithuanian and Portuguese are all spoken throughout Northern Ireland as the region experiences large-scale inward migration for the first time since the arrival of Scottish settlers in the 1600s. The fact that many of the new arrivals have come with little or no English language skills has implications for a number of public services, not least education. This paper will discuss how schools have responded to the needs of an increasingly multilingual environment by analysing new procedures and by drawing on interviews conducted with stakeholders in the area.
TL;DR: The authors reviewed the arguments for and against the inclusion of support resources in high-stakes assessments of L2 language proficiency and explored how these arguments have shaped centralised language-in-education planning and policy decisions and looked at what has happened at local level as a consequence of these decisions.
Abstract: This paper reviews the arguments for and against the inclusion of support resources in high-stakes assessments of L2 language proficiency. It explores how these arguments have shaped centralised language-in-education planning and policy decisions and looks at what has happened at the local level as a consequence of these decisions. Regardless of whether support resources are included in or excluded from the assessment the paper proposes some of the language planning issues that need to be borne in mind both centrally and locally, seen in the light of the important requirement to develop students’ communicative language ability.
TL;DR: This article examined the response made by the University of Calgary to changes in Alberta's language policy in its language teacher education program, which led to the development of a new assessment approach for selecting candidates for teacher education.
Abstract: This paper examines the response made by the University of Calgary to changes in Alberta’s language policy in its language teacher education programme. The paper outlines recent policy changes in Alberta aimed at developing language education in schools and then examines how such changes have had an impact on planning for the delivery of education for language teachers at the University of Calgary. The University’s response led to the development of a new assessment approach for selecting candidates for teacher education.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the work of the British Council's Peacekeeping English Project and the key issues in English for peacekeeping and other security forces, as well as the reasons for this work.
Abstract: In this article, I discuss the work of the British Council's Peacekeeping English Project: why the British Council is undertaking this work, why is it being sponsored, what exactly is being done and what are the key issues in English for peacekeeping and other security forces.
TL;DR: The role of discourse in escalating or de-escalating conflict among social groups is discussed in this article, where the authors define and illustrate the components of a critical linguistic framework which language professionals can use to assess how discourse contributes to promoting conflict and threatening security in a society.
Abstract: Implicit in the notion of language planning is the issue of preserving linguistic rights, one dimension to be taken into account in considering the relationship between the role of language in social life and security This paper, however, intends to introduce another dimension, not typically included in the literature on language planning, ie the role of discourse in escalating or de-escalating conflict among social groups It will define and illustrate the components of a critical linguistic framework which, it is proposed, language professionals can use (1) to assess how discourse contributes to promoting conflict and threatening security in a society and (2) as a guide in devising interventions that would serve to facilitate reconciliation through language change in those areas where it (discourse) is a source of conflict and insecurity
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the Medical Council of Malawi erroneously assumes that English is the main language of doctor-patient communication in Malawian hospitals since the country is linguistically categorised as an English speaking African country.
Abstract: According to the Medical Council of Malawi, one of the conditions for a licence to be granted to an individual who wants to practise medicine in Malawi is the practitioner's ability to speak and write English fluently. This means that the expatriate medical practitioner is not required by law to demonstrate fluency in Chichewa (the national language) or any other relevant indigenous language(s). On the basis of a sociolinguistic study that was conducted at a major referral hospital in a predominantly Chitumbuka-speaking town, this paper argues that the Medical Council of Malawi erroneously assumes that English is the main language of doctor–patient communication in Malawian hospitals since the country is linguistically categorised as an English speaking African country. Yet only a minority of the population is competent in English. The national language (Chichewa), and other indigenous languages remain the main medium through which much of the health service provider–patient communication takes place. A m...
TL;DR: The nexus between language, communication and security found in language planning activities with a security focus is examined and the conceptual bases on which language solutions are introduced into security problems are critiques.
Abstract: This paper examines ways in which language planning has been used to address issues of security. It gives an overview of a range of areas of security in which government-level language planning has had a role as a way of developing a typology of language planning work in this area. It examines the nexus between language, communication and security found in language planning activities with a security focus and critiques the conceptual bases on which language solutions are introduced into security problems.
TL;DR: In 1976, the Seychelles government made Creole its third official language, alongside French and English, and the socioeconomic pressures facing the nation's official languages are explored as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: In 1976, the Seychelles government made Creole its third official language, alongside French and English. Although Creole is the native language for most Seychellois, this language policy change has remained contentious. While some have hailed it as essential to democracy, others have condemned it for widening the nation's socioeconomic divide. After describing the Seychelles' modern demography and trilingual policies, details surrounding this controversy are presented. The socioeconomic pressures facing the nation's official languages are explored. The policy issues raised help shed light on Creole-speakers, a group whose interests are often overlooked in language planning discussions for minority empowerment.
TL;DR: In the past decade, major attention has been given to the power of tests and to the pivotal roles tests play in societies in shaping the definitions of language, affecting learning and teaching.
Abstract: In the past decade, major attention has been given to the power of tests and to the pivotal roles tests play in societies in shaping the definitions of language, affecting learning and teaching, an...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present evidence based on archival documentation in the form of annual reports and manuscripts written by administrators that document how, through community empowerment, the Tonga, a minority (a term which the Tenga do not use) language group from Zimbabwe, successfully lobbied for the promotion and development of Tonga as the language of instruction in all Tonga-speaking areas.
Abstract: Arguments for bottom-up approaches in language planning are currently in vogue. Rarely, however, are such arguments supported by evidence demonstrating how such bottom-up planning leading to successful implementation can be achieved. This article presents evidence based on archival documentation in the form of annual reports and manuscripts written by administrators that document how, through community empowerment, the Tonga, a minority (a term which the Tonga do not use) language group from Zimbabwe, successfully lobbied for the promotion and development of Tonga as the language of instruction in all Tonga-speaking areas. But the success of the promotion is constrained by the nature of the framework within which language, heritage and micro-nationalism form the basis of the promotion exercise.
TL;DR: The authors describes the overall language situation in Luxembourg, a highly multilingual country in Western Europe, from a language policy and planning perspective, and discusses the social and historical contexts, including major societal changes and uncertainties about the future, which are bound up with Europeanisation and the accelerated processes of globalisation.
Abstract: This monograph describes the overall language situation in Luxembourg, a highly multilingual country in Western Europe, from a language policy and planning perspective. The first part discusses the social and historical contexts, including major societal changes and uncertainties about the future, which are bound up with Europeanisation and the accelerated processes of globalisation. It also deconstructs the notions of Luxembourgish as a ‘minority language’ and French as the ‘language of prestige’, and describes a two-pronged language ideology that allows for either monolingual identification with Luxembourgish or trilingual identification with the languages recognised by the language law of 1984 (Luxembourgish/ German/ French). The second part discusses the trilingual school-system, a system in which large numbers of romanophone students are forced to go through a German-language literacy programme. The third part provides an overview of language spread in the areas of the media and literary writing. The...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the parallel development of language planning and land planning within the Loon River Cree First Nation, which is an area where major oil and gas industry, as well as logging and mining are constantly encroaching.
Abstract: This article examines the parallel development of language planning and land planning within the Loon River Cree First Nation. Loon River Cree territory, located in north-central Alberta, Canada, is an area where major oil and gas industry, as well as logging and mining are constantly encroaching. The community, who still use Cree in their daily lives, completed a Traditional Land Use Study in 2004 which documented the historical and contemporary relationship the Loon River members have with their land. The study compiled oral histories from 20 elders, all in the Cree language, and also included site visits to important locations, digital mapping and archival research. The Traditional Land Use Study has since resulted in the creation of a Consultation Unit. The role of the Consultation Unit, which consists mostly of Loon River Cree community members, is to be an intermediary between industry, the provincial government of Alberta, and the First Nation. However, the Consultation Unit's goals also include, ‘...