Language Policy Issues Research Articles

Unfirm ground

This is the first of a two-part article which examines the implications of the transformations in the relationship between those who exercise political and State power in Ireland and those who adhere to the minority Irish language culture. The evolution of language policy in the Irish State since independence in 1922 is considered from the perspective of linguistic sustainability, as opposed to the well-established trend in language policy discourse in Ireland which primarily focuses on institutional provision. The analysis here delineates the various policy phases which defined the official approach of the Irish State to its national but minority language. This analysis provides the basis for the examination in the second article of the process of contemporary language policy reform in Ireland. From the joint perspective of legacy issues in language policy and planning and the current transformations in relevant State policy, these two papers contend that the Irish State effectively abandoned the language revival in the early 1970s and that the current reform process marks an equally significant policy watershed in that the independent State is now preparing to abandon its policy concerning the small surviving Irish-speaking districts (Gaeltacht).

Current Situation and Issues of Language Policy for Linguistically Alienated Class

Current Situation and Issues of Language Policy for Linguistically Alienated Class

Neo-liberalism, globalization, language policy and practice issues in the Asia-Pacific region

By the beginning of the twenty-first century, the English language had become the de facto lingua franca of the modern world. It is the most popular second or foreign language studied, such that now there are more people who have learned English as a second language and speak it with some competence than there are native English speakers. But why has English gained such prominence? What effect does this have on the globalized world? In this paper we argue that the importance of English in many ways promotes a neo-colonialism and certainly abets the neo-liberal ideals of encouraging a market economy. We present a series of cases in the Asia-Pacific region to illustrate dimensions of English as the hegemonic language and the implications of this for education policy and practice as examined in comparative education research.

Current issues in LPP research and their impact on society

After a very broad description of what language policy and planning is about this paper presents an overview of some of the current preoccupations of researchers focusing on language policy and planning as one of the blooming fields of applied linguistics. The current issues in language policy and planning research that are dealt with include ‘the history of the field’, ‘language practices in different domains of society’, ‘ideas and beliefs about language’, and ‘the practical side of language policy and planning’. The brief sketch of current issues in language policy and planning research is meant to serve as the background for a preliminary discussion of the impact of language policy and planning research on society. That discussion takes the different ‘roles’ of academics working at university departments and doing research on language policy and planning as a starting point.

Language policy and planning as an interdisciplinary field: towards a complexity approach

One of the dangers that we should be aware of when we study issues of language policy and planning is the fragmentary perspective by which they can be approached. Reality, by contrast, is interrelated and overlapping. This is why a complexity perspective stresses the importance of studying the contexts of phenomena, that is to say, their external relations. The direction to be followed here leads towards a better understanding of reality as a set of open systems that are in continuous exchange with the surrounding ecosystem, bearing in mind always that any apparent stability is the result of a dynamic equilibrium. Making headway towards an interdisciplinary approach is therefore necessary and imperative.Headings such as status/normative/institution vis-à-vis others such as solidarity/normal/individual seem to imply a basic distinction in the definition of sociocultural reality. To discover and understand the dynamics of the interaction between these two major categories is, in fact, one of the most important subjects waiting to be addressed by language planning and policy strategies and more broadly by sociolinguistics. An interrelated set of guiding questions for the field could thus be stated as follows: What group or organisation, in pursuit of what overall objective or intention, wants to achieve what, where, how and when; and what do they actually achieve, and why? With this approach, even if how a group or organisation obtains its desired goal – that is, its actual intervention – is included as one of the main elements in a piece of research, the research will not focus exclusively on this topic, but will frame the intervention and identify how it is interrelated with all the other elements involved globally in this phenomenon, trying to establish a clear theoretical understanding of the entire interwoven set of events and processes.

Overt Language Attitudes and Linguistic Identities among Multilingual Speakers in Northern Belize

Abstract The current study examines Mestizo adolescent and post-adolescent speakers’ overt language attitudes towards their language varieties and bilingual/trilingual codeswitching. Results show that contrary to previous studies where code-switching has typically been negatively perceived even by the speakers themselves, codeswitching has thrived in Belize, particularly among post-adolescent speakers, because they are positively predisposed to code-switching and associate it with their multilingual identity. In contrast, the use of monolingual varieties of Spanish is marked and pejoratively perceived, especially among high school speakers. Interview data revealed that an incipient trend among younger high school speakers is to employ more Belizean Kriol and less Northern Belizean Spanish and codeswitching. This is a trend which merits further investigation as it may be pointing to the genesis of a strong pan-Afro-Belizean linguistic identity among younger Belizeans which cuts across ethnic lines, and which consequently holds implications for issues of language dominance, language shift, and language policy and planning in Belize.

ISSUES FOR LANGUAGE POLICY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Higher education is in a period of far-reaching changes in Europe, and language programmes are vitally affected by these changes. In addition to language competence development, often in at least two foreign languages, these programmes may provide detailed study of different aspects of societies, such as social and political structures as well as business environment. Every university has adopted a strategy of internationalisation, seeking to attract staff and students from abroad, develop links with institutions in other countries, and raise the international ranking of the university. The situation provides important opportunities but also serious threats. Since policy makers are busy people, they will generally not wish to spend much time in puzzling out the nature of a problem or what they ought to do about it. The aim of this paper is to examine some of the most important issues in language policy for higher education across Europe, and to offer some suggestions about how they might be addressed in practice. In order to achieve the effective development of foreign language competence in higher education, it is important that academic staff should engage with policy makers in order to persuade them of the importance of foreign language competence. These problems need to be addressed to policy makers at a national level, such as ministers and civil servants.

Family language policy: sociopolitical reality versus linguistic continuity

Family language policy (FLP) has received increased attention over the last decade as researchers seek to understand questions such as: why (and how) do members of some transnational families maintain their language while members of other families lose their language? How is it that some children, growing up in a largely monolingual society, become bilinguals while other children, growing up in a bilingual environment, become monolinguals? What policies and practices do parents implement to promote or discourage the use and practice of particular languages? And how are these language policies and practices negotiated in private domains, and concomitantly, related to broader ideologies of language and language education policies? While emphasizing close analysis of family domains and relationships, FLP also recognizes the relevance and influence of economic, political and social structures and processes in a given society. In a complex nested relationship, FLP interacts with a wide range of socio-historical, political, cultural and linguistic variables and factors (Spolsky 2012; King and Fogle 2013). As such, the study of FLP not only contributes to our understanding of the processes of language shift and change, it also sheds lights on broader language policy issues at societal levels. Most importantly, the study of FLP can make visible the relationships between private domains and public spheres and reveal the conflicts that family members must negotiate between the realities of social pressure, political impositions, and public education demands on the one hand, and the desire for cultural loyalty and linguistic continuity on the other. FLP draws on theoretical frameworks of language policy, language socialization, literacy studies and child language acquisition (Caldas 2010; Curdt-Christiansen 2009, 2012a, 2012b; De Houwer 2009; Gafaranga 2010; King and Fogle 2006,

The impact of language policy issues on program development and management at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich Language Center

This article explores the impact of language policy issues on program development and management at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich Language Center. Based on the analysis of the language policy approach of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, the article reflects both current practices and policy elements with the help of the categories offered by François Grin (2010). Part of the data collected was also considered in 2011 while answering a questionnaire on Language Policy in Higher Education in Switzerland. The Swiss Institute of Multilingualism, in charge of gathering the data for Switzerland for the pan-European project Language Rich Europe, managed by the British Council and co-financed by the European Commission (British Council/European Commission 2010–2013), had approached our Language Center in this matter. In a wider context, the present survey is a case study reflecting the situation of two major Swiss Universities outside the European Union. The article shows that both the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich lack a consistent language policy document at institutional level, while showing a cautious approach to questions of future language governance. It argues that the impact of this approach leads to the constant readjustment of the strategic goals of program development by the Language Center's director through regular needs analysis interviews with the stakeholders in the departments and faculties, and to a continuous fine-tuning of pedagogical formats by the heads of units. A further qualitative study will be be carried out in 2012 through focus group interviews with different stakeholder groups, e.g. deans, program directors, students and representatives of (doctoral) students' unions, in order to collect more specific data as a basis for more detailed analysis and interpretation.

South African Sign Language and language-in-education policy in South Africa

Language planning and language policy issues and decisions are both significant and often controversial in the educational sphere. In the case of South Africa, language planning and language policy have a long and complex history in South Africa. Used in the apartheid era both to support Afrikaner nationalist objectives and as a pillar of ethnolinguistically separate education, language planning and policy have remained an important and divisive matter well into the new democratic era (cf. Heugh 1995, 2002; E. de Kadt 1996; Ridge 1996, 2004; Chisanga and Kamwangamalu 1997; Kamwangamalu 1997, 2004; Verhoef 1998; Reagan 2001, 2002a; Alexander 2004; J. de Kadt 2006).

Language Policy and Political Issues in Education. Encyclopedia of Language and Education, vol. 1. 2nd edition edited by StephenMay and Nancy H.Hornberger, eds. New York: Springer Science and Business Media, 2010. 460 pp.

Language Policy and Political Issues in Education. Encyclopedia of Language and Education, vol. 1. 2nd edition edited by StephenMay and Nancy H.Hornberger, eds. New York: Springer Science and Business Media, 2010. 460 pp.

Language policy and planning in urban professional settings: bilingualism in Cardiff businesses

This paper examines overt and covert Welsh-language policy and planning processes in private businesses in Cardiff. As part of an ongoing broader critical discourse-analytical study on the discursive construction of the promotion of Welsh in the private sector in Wales, a critical examination of language policy, ideology and perceived practices in Cardiff firms was performed. The study is based on qualitative interviews with business stakeholders in Cardiff and a set of language-policy documents. Analysis of the participants' perceptions indicates a range of factors that are in play when businesses engage with language-policy issues. It also provides a vital glimpse into how key business stakeholders perceive the sense of worth, or otherwise, of using the Welsh language and how top-down language-policy processes are mediated at the micro-level. The study identifies an overall positive trend in the levels of support for Welsh in business, with recurring favourable attitudes towards Welsh as a resource and a desirable, non-essential skill. Nonetheless, challenges remain, particularly with respect to the top-down planning agenda, which often diverges from the scenarios encountered in urban business settings.

Language planning and language policy in the ecological perspective

The paper deals with the issue of language planning and policy both in the historical as well as the ecological perspective. The problem of linguistic diversity protection and maintenance in opposition to monolingual global world is explored.

Czym jest pejzaż językowy (linguistic landscape)?

The language that is present in our environment, words and images displayed and exposed in public spaces are the interest of a relatively recent and rapidly growing study referred to as linguistic landscape (LL). The highest density of signs can be found in cities, especially in the main shopping streets and industrial areas. The study of LL can provide important insights on phenomena which occur in the cities, it can reflect language tendencies and social relations. Hence, the analysis of LL adresses the issues of multilingualism, language policy, cultural diversity and language contacts. It also strongly relates to national identity, globalisation and the spread of English.

Issues in institutional language policy: Lessons learned from peacekeeping in Bosnia-Herzegovina

This article examines issues in institutional language policy, suggesting that it cannot be sufficiently understood by using concepts developed to analyse the policy of states. It presents the example of the British contingents contributing to the NATO peacekeeping operation in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the 1990s. And it suggests that this holds lessons for the more general understanding of institutional language policy. It argues that a problem-solving approach is required in order to understand the policies and practices of the institutions involved in relation to languages. The concepts of delegated decision-making, the critical role of agents, needs analysis, and problem-solving provide valuable tools both for understanding policy development and for informing policy intervention at the level of institutions. It suggests that this approach is helpful in understanding institutional language policies more generally, and may provide a basis for more effective advocacy in the development of institutional language cultures.

Foreign language policy addressed to Greek primary and secondary education: Teachers' viewpoints and students' attitudes towards plurilingualism

This study examines foreign language policy as addressed to Greek primary and secondary education, aiming to: i) record primary and lower secondary education students' plurilingual skills; ii) identify their attitudes to learning European languages; and iii) explore the extent to which Greek foreign language (FL) teachers are informed and the degree to which they agree with central issues of European Language Policy. This is to be achieved through: a) a brief overview of the situation of FL teaching in Greek education for the last 20 years (by presenting some curricula and official documents on FL teaching); and b) the development of a research project, conducted during the academic year 2008–2009, in which 863 primary school students and 400 students from secondary schools participated. The research project utilised two versions of a questionnaire as a means to collect information from primary and secondary education students. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 FL teachers to ...

Language Policy and Latina Immigrants: An Analysis of Personal Experience and Identity in Interview Talk

This article examines how Spanish-speaking Latina (im)migrants position themselves relative to US language policies. Drawing from interviews with 15 Latin American women in the USA, we illustrate how understandings of language policy are constructed through individuals’ reports of everyday experiences and framed within the constraints of contemporary language politics and ideological debates. Building on recent shifts in language policy research towards the study of how individuals engage with language policy issues, we argue for a close analysis of interview talk as a way of gaining important insights into this issue. Data from the study not only illustrate the existence of multiple frames for individual understandings of language policy, but also suggest how these discussions become terrains for the personal negotiation of identities within a broader socio-political context that is overwhelmingly anti-immigrant.

Introduction to thematic issue: language policies and health

Lang Policy (2010) 9:1–7 DOI 10.1007/s10993-009-9154-7 Introduction to thematic issue: language policies and health Vaidehi Ramanathan Published online: 23 October 2009 O The Author(s) 2009. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Where do our disciplinary concepts come from? What are the processes by which they begin to garner particular associations and take root? In what ways do policies—understood most broadly in a variety of spaces in our world—enforce and thicken associations (and by extension inequities) and why is it important that we, applied linguists, seek contexts whereby our default understandings of concepts and their terms are challenged? These questions form the backdrop against which the present localized discussions of the terms ‘language’, ‘policy’ and ‘health’ are discussed and which frame this thematic issue of Language Policy. The term ‘language policy’ has typically been thought of as ‘rules’ or ‘mandates’ about language use—its governance, maintenance, reproduction—at a variety of state, national and family levels (Schiffman 1996; Spolsky 2004; McCarty 2002, 2005; Wiley 2004; Wiley and Wright 2004; Ricento 2006; King and Fogle 2006), and as institutionalized mandates in contexts such as testing (Shohamy 2001, 2006; McNamara 2000; McNamara and Roever 2009). It has only been in recent years that local enactments of and around policies has begun to gain attention (c.f. Hornberger and Johnson 2007; King 2001; King et al. 2008; McCarty 2005; Ramanathan 2005). In the ESL context, Bhattacharya et al. (2007), for instance, write of the policy- practice nexus in English-language lessons in Delhi, Johannesburg, and London, while Diane Dudzik (2007) speaks of the effects of language policies around curricular reform in postcolonial Djibouti. Situated in Wales, Baker (2003) writes about transliteracy in the Welsh national curriculum, while Clarke (2007) describes policy issues around language teacher education in the United Arab Emirates. This shift in attention to the more grounded and lived realities of language policies is not as ordinary and commonplace as first it might appear, since it casts floodlights on engagements—on how humans, programs, institutions, states, nations negotiate V. Ramanathan (&) Linguistics Department, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA e-mail: vaidehi.ramanathan@gmail.com

Principles and Practices of L1/L2 Use in the Japanese University EFL Classroom

This paper considers the issue of classroom language policy in the context of an EFL environment. Specifically, it focuses on the context of university settings in Japan. Using a semi-structured format, I interviewed ten university teachers about their principles and practices concerning both teachers’ and students’ L1 use. Policies ranged from those requiring strict L2 only classrooms to those allowing students to use the L1 whenever they needed. The policies of most teachers were not constrained by any institutional requirements or particularly influenced by critical pedagogy or any language learning theory. Rather, they tended to be determined by pragmatism, individual beliefs and personality. この論文では、EFL環境というコンテクストにおける教室内での言語使用の方針について考察する。とりわけ、日本の大学環境というコンテクストに焦点を置く。半構造的インタビューを用いて、教員と学生の第一言語の使用について10人の大学教員に彼らの理念と実践について尋ねた。彼らの言語使用の方針は、第二言語のみの教室を厳密に求めるものから、学生の第一言語の使用を必要である時には認めるものまで、多岐に渡っていた。ほとんどの教員の方針は大学側の要求により強制されたものでも、とりわけ批判的教育学や言語学習理論により影響されたものでもなかった。むしろ、実用的理由、個人的信念、性格により決定される傾向にあった。

Global connections: language policies and international call centers

When calling (and waiting) for help in some countries, many of us have learned to expect the standard, audio-recorded reminder that ‘Your call may be monitored for quality assurance...’. Most of us think little about this delay and if we consider it at all, frame it in terms of how our needs as customers are (or are not) being met at that moment. This thematic issue of Language Policy critically explores what is on the other side of that phrase, that is, what is meant by ‘‘quality’’ in call center translations, how this quality is linked to broader global forces and ideologies, as well as how it is regulated through language policy and negotiated via everyday interactions. In most (but not all, see Duchene, this issue) cases, call centers involve connecting service-seeking customers from wealthy, English-speaking countries with service-providing workers from more multilingual, less economically powerful states or regions. Managing these cultural, social, and linguistic connections is the central task of the call center employee. The primary good to be produced by the worker is a quality interaction from the perspective of the customer. In many cases, call center services are to be provided without the caller knowing that the call center is in another country; therefore, quality often means that call center workers should sound like the caller. While talking is an important aspect of many jobs in the service sector, in few places is language more central, managed or regulated than in international call centers. Call centers, for this reason, represent an ideal site for critical examination of how language policy is formulated, negotiated and resisted. Advances in communication and computing technology over the last decade have made international call centers ubiquitous in a wide range of businesses and sites around the globe. Call centers are a highly salient result of globalization, and concomitantly, a rich site for the study of what globalization entails at the individual, interpersonal and interactional level. The articles in this special issue of