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The Four Common and Co-Existing Forces of Language Policies at The National Level

A presentation about the Four Common and Co-existing Forces of Language Policies at the National Level based on the Theory of Bernard Spolsky.

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Gerold
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1K views

The Four Common and Co-Existing Forces of Language Policies at The National Level

A presentation about the Four Common and Co-existing Forces of Language Policies at the National Level based on the Theory of Bernard Spolsky.

Uploaded by

Gerold
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Four Common and Co-existing Forces of

Language Policies at the National Level


Table of Contents GROUP 2
REPORT
What this report covers

An increasing interest in linguistic


01 Introduction
05 rights within the human and civil
National (or ethnic) ideology or rights framework
02
claims of identity
The role of English as a global 06 Conclusion
03
language

A nation's sociolinguistic
04
situation
Introduction
Bernard Spolsky theorizes that the language policy of any
independent nation is driven, at its core, by four
co-occurring conditions—national (or ethnic) ideology,
English in the globalization process, a nation’s attendant
sociolinguistic situation, and the internationally growing
interest in the linguistic rights of minorities.
(Albury, 2015)
Spolsky (2009) proposes that language policies at the national level are
driven by four common and co-existing forces:

• national (or ethnic) ideology or claims of identity;


• the role of English as a global language;
• a nation’s sociolinguistic situation; and
• an increasing interest in linguistic rights within the human and civil rights
framework
National (or ethnic) ideology or claims of identity

Keywords: National/Ethnic identity, Language identity,Language use


National ideology and identity refers to the infrastructure of beliefs
and principles relevant to a collective psyche that may manifest in
language policy.

Infrastructure=System
For illustration, Spolsky reflects on northern African nations where post-colonial
Arabisation instituted Arabic as an official language on the primacy of the Qur’an
in national and cultural identity (Spolsky 2004).
As we all know, language is not
only the tool of human
communication of information but
also the carrier of cultural
transmission.
The ethnic language is a medium
for maintaining ethnic identity,
heritage culture, and an exchange
of information. It can keep the
behavior, emotion, and cognition
of the ethnic members in line, and
through the ethnic language,
minorities can enhance their
ethnic identity (Yang, 2013).
In the context of globalization,
China, as a multi-ethnic country,
has developed a series of new
problems caused
by social change and economic
development. In particular, many
ethnic minorities in China began to
face the two
serious problems of ethnic identity
and language endangerment
because of cultural reorganization.
The role of English as a global language
Keywords: Global Language, Language Use, Language Endangerment
English, being the first
world language, is said to
be the first global lingua
franca and the most widely
used language in the world
in international trade,
diplomacy, mass
entertainment,
international
telecommunications, and
scientific publications
publishing newspapers and
other books.
The role of English refers to what Spolsky (2004) calls the ‘tidal
wave of English that is moving into almost every sociolinguistic
repertoire’ throughout the global language ecology. As the
language of global communication, English has come to index a
cosmopolitan social and economic mobility.
Roles of English

Lingua franca for Employment


communication Press and Media
Science and Technology Entertainment
Education Travel and
Business Tourism
Internet
English is no doubt a motivating
force in Icelandic language policy.
Iceland’s response to English is
dichotomized by the tension that
May (2014) describes between the
cosmopolitan and the local:
Icelanders pursue the perceived
global benefits of English language
proficiency, but seek to counter its
influence through protectionist
policy in the interests of preserving
their local language.
However, the wave can also create
tensions between linguistic
internationalisation and local
language interests (May 2014),
meaning the tidal wave may also be
resisted by way of interventions to
protect the status or vitality of local
languages.
a Nation’s sociolinguistic situation
What is Sociolinguistics??

Sociolinguistics is the study of language in relation to social


factors, including differences of regional, class, and occupational
dialect, gender differences, and bilingualism.
a Nation’s sociolinguistic situation
The sociolinguistic situation refers to ‘the number and kinds of
languages, the
number and kinds of speakers of each, the communicative value
of each language both
inside and outside the community being studied’ (Spolsky 2004:
219).
This is not just concerned with the factual sociolinguistic setting,
but also with subjective perceptions about the importance of
specific languages.
An increasing interest in linguistic rights
within the human and civil rights
framework
The final factor, Spolsky
(2004) claims, is the
increasing global interest
in
‘linguistic pluralism and
an acceptance of the
need to recognize the
rights of
individuals and groups to
continue to use their own
languages’ (p. 220).
Language is positioned as
an element of human
rights, urging nations to
offer language rights to
their minorities in some
way, such as provisions
for
minority language-
medium schooling
(Spolsky 2004).
Spolsky (2005) especially recalls the international awareness of
minority issues sparked by the American civil rights movement
and twentieth century international human rights instruments
that affirm and protect language minorities either explicitly or
implicitly.
Efforts by non-dominant groups to preserve their cultural,
religious or ethnic differences emerged with the creation of
nation States in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The recognition and protection of minority rights under international


law began with the League of Nations through the adoption of several
“minority treaties”. When the United Nations was set up in 1945 to
replace the League of Nations, it, too, gradually developed a number of
norms, procedures and mechanisms concerned with minorities.
In particular, the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights and the 1992 Declaration on the Rights of
Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and
Linguistic Minorities (hereinafter: United Nations Minorities
Declaration) recognize and protect the rights of persons
belonging to minorities. In practice, however, these rights are
far from being realized.
Scope of Minority Rights Protection
Survival and Existence Equality and non-
discrimination

Promotion and protection of Effective and meaningful


the identity of minorities participation
International Organizations that have the supranational power
over matters related to minority rights protection
some of the main sources of minority rights:
United Nations General Assembly
United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization(UNESCO)
Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights
Inter Agency Support Group(IASG)
Etc..
Keyword :"Supranational"
having power or influence that transcends national boundaries or governments.

Conclusion:
Language policies are born amidst the
complex interplay of social, cultural,
religious and political forces. With this in
mind, Bernard Spolsky theorises that the
language policy of any independent nation
is driven, at its core, by four co-occurring
conditions—national ideology, English in
the globalisation process, a nation’s
attendant sociolinguistic situation, and the
internationally growing interest in the
linguistic rights of minorities.(Spolsky in
Language policy, Cambridge University
Press, Cambridge, 2004).

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