Chapter 14, Language Policy and Planning: Online material
For Students
- Summary
This final chapter begins with an explanation of terms and concepts in language policy and planning (LPP) and an overview of the development of this field of study. We then turn to discussions of language policies and planning in specific contexts, looking at how language policy can be part of nation-building and the construction of a national identity. A theme through much of this research has to do with policies and planning with regard to multilingualism; it is sometimes fostered, sometimes regulated, and sometimes discouraged, depending on the history and ideological stances in the country.
- Review
- Compare and contrast the following pairs of terms/concepts:
language planning/language policy
status planning/corpus planning
macro-sociopolitical factors/epistemological factors/strategy factors
structuralism/post-modern theory
2.2.Review questions
2.2.1.What are the three phases of research on LPP since World War II, as outlined by Ricento? What are the characteristics of these different phases?
2.2.2.What types of data are used to make language planning decisions, and what are some of the problems with these data sources?
2.2.3.What are some of the different ways in which language policies regulate multilingualism?
2.2.4.What are some examples of how the script used to write a language has played a role in language planning?
- Terms to know from this chapter
language planning
language policy
status planning
corpus planning
macro-sociopolitical factors
epistemological factors
strategy factors
structuralism
neo-colonial
graphization
post-modern theory
Roman script
Russification
Cyrillic script
ethnonational boundaries
Devangari script
Sanskritization
Limited English Proficiency
unilingualism
endangered languages
language documentation
pluricentric
- Links
The webpage for language policy in the Council of Europe provides an overview of language policies with regard to education, news, texts, and resources for educators.
The Endangered Languages Project provides information about endangered languages, the opportunity to share videos in different languages, and a social network for researchers working on this topic.
This website, sponsored by an organization which supports efforts to make English the official language of the United States, offers information about policies and ideologies on this subject, including a map which shows whichstates have state laws regarding English as an official language.
This link to the pdf of the Singapore census includes statistics on many things other than language, but can be used to gain insight into the complex linguistic situation in this city-state.
This website is sponsored by an organization which is responsible for the Speak Good English campaign in Singapore. The website gives a history of the activities of the organization and learning resources.
The pdf at this link is a 2011 report by the National Center on Immigration Integration Policy based on the 2010 US census and provides information about US residents who are classified as having Limited English Proficiency (LEP). It shows the distribution of these residents and information about linguistic diversity in the United States.