In recent years, the significant expansion of English-medium instruction (EMI) programmes across higher education institutions outside English-speaking contexts has brought with it an inherent set of language-related tensions and ambiguities. In this article, we explore how a selection of Italian universities have tackled these tensions. Via a content analysis of university policy documents, we investigate the key language-related themes in them, and the orientations to language that these themes entail. The results show that English is seen as necessary for and almost synonymous to internationalisation, as well as a language that can bring benefits to both institutions and individuals. However, a commitment to multilingualism and to the promotion of Italian from a non-protectionist stance is apparent in the documents analysed. This finding, we argue, puts the Italian context apart from other settings that have been previously investigated (e.g. the Nordic countries), and points to an original way in which universities can navigate the language ambiguities that come with the process of higher education internationalisation.
{"title":"Language policy in Italian universities","authors":"Beatrice Zuaro, J. Soler, Beyza Björkman-Nylén","doi":"10.1075/lplp.21029.zua","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/lplp.21029.zua","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000In recent years, the significant expansion of English-medium instruction (EMI) programmes across higher education institutions outside English-speaking contexts has brought with it an inherent set of language-related tensions and ambiguities. In this article, we explore how a selection of Italian universities have tackled these tensions. Via a content analysis of university policy documents, we investigate the key language-related themes in them, and the orientations to language that these themes entail. The results show that English is seen as necessary for and almost synonymous to internationalisation, as well as a language that can bring benefits to both institutions and individuals. However, a commitment to multilingualism and to the promotion of Italian from a non-protectionist stance is apparent in the documents analysed. This finding, we argue, puts the Italian context apart from other settings that have been previously investigated (e.g. the Nordic countries), and points to an original way in which universities can navigate the language ambiguities that come with the process of higher education internationalisation.","PeriodicalId":44345,"journal":{"name":"Language Problems & Language Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2022-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42673048","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study aims to explore language education policy among Palestinian Arab kindergarten teachers in Israel, employing the framework of language policy proposed by Spolsky (2009), based on three major components: language practices, language ideologies, and language management. A mixed-method research approach consisting of both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection is employed. A questionnaire was completed by a total of 509 kindergarten teachers. In addition, a semi-structured interview was carried out with 12 kindergarten teachers, selected from among those who answered the questionnaire, in order to gain a deeper understanding about Arabic language education policy. The data revealed that Palestinian Arab kindergarten teachers in Israel mostly use a mixture of Standard Arabic (StA) and Spoken Arabic (SpA) as the medium of instruction, using Hebrew or foreign words only sparingly. They express positive attitudes towards Arabic’s role as an important language in Israel. They also show positive attitudes about StA, believing that it is necessary to master it, yet facing difficulties while using it when speaking with the children. Regarding language management, they conduct activities that help develop StA skills, both for themselves and their students. Finally, there are significant interrelations between the kindergarten teachers’ background variables (religion, type of city they live in, seniority, education, and district) and language practice, ideology, and management. Based on these findings, it is important to construct a clearly-defined StA educational policy in Arab kindergartens.
{"title":"Palestinian kindergarten teachers in Israel and Arabic education policy","authors":"Abeer Shahbari Kassem, M. Amara","doi":"10.1075/lplp.21041.sha","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/lplp.21041.sha","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000This study aims to explore language education policy among Palestinian Arab kindergarten teachers in Israel, employing the framework of language policy proposed by Spolsky (2009), based on three major components: language practices, language ideologies, and language management. A mixed-method research approach consisting of both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection is employed. A questionnaire was completed by a total of 509 kindergarten teachers. In addition, a semi-structured interview was carried out with 12 kindergarten teachers, selected from among those who answered the questionnaire, in order to gain a deeper understanding about Arabic language education policy. The data revealed that Palestinian Arab kindergarten teachers in Israel mostly use a mixture of Standard Arabic (StA) and Spoken Arabic (SpA) as the medium of instruction, using Hebrew or foreign words only sparingly. They express positive attitudes towards Arabic’s role as an important language in Israel. They also show positive attitudes about StA, believing that it is necessary to master it, yet facing difficulties while using it when speaking with the children. Regarding language management, they conduct activities that help develop StA skills, both for themselves and their students. Finally, there are significant interrelations between the kindergarten teachers’ background variables (religion, type of city they live in, seniority, education, and district) and language practice, ideology, and management. Based on these findings, it is important to construct a clearly-defined StA educational policy in Arab kindergartens.","PeriodicalId":44345,"journal":{"name":"Language Problems & Language Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2022-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43508216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article aims to explore the possibility that learning Toki Pona, a “minimalist” constructed language with a total lexicon of only 123 words, may help students to develop their skills in using communication strategies in the foreign or second language they are learning. After a general introduction on constructed languages, three sections follow: one introducing Toki Pona, one presenting the research hypothesis and aim, and another outlining communications strategies. The article continues with the methodology employed and a discussion of the results obtained. These show that learning Toki Pona may indeed help the students to improve their communication strategies, and particularly circumlocution, so that they can avoid breakdowns in communication when they do not know or do not remember a word or expression.
{"title":"How learning Toki Pona may help improving communication strategies in a foreign or second language","authors":"P. Coluzzi","doi":"10.1075/lplp.00086.col","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/lplp.00086.col","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 This article aims to explore the possibility that learning Toki Pona, a “minimalist” constructed language with a\u0000 total lexicon of only 123 words, may help students to develop their skills in using communication strategies in the foreign or\u0000 second language they are learning. After a general introduction on constructed languages, three sections follow: one introducing\u0000 Toki Pona, one presenting the research hypothesis and aim, and another outlining communications strategies. The article continues\u0000 with the methodology employed and a discussion of the results obtained. These show that learning Toki Pona may indeed help the\u0000 students to improve their communication strategies, and particularly circumlocution, so that they can avoid breakdowns in\u0000 communication when they do not know or do not remember a word or expression.","PeriodicalId":44345,"journal":{"name":"Language Problems & Language Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2022-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41569313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Review of Roy (2020): French Immersion Ideologies in Canada","authors":"M. Hayday","doi":"10.1075/lplp.00085.hay","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/lplp.00085.hay","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44345,"journal":{"name":"Language Problems & Language Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2022-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45375708","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Review of Ricento (2019): Language politics and policies. Perspectives from Canada and the United States","authors":"Rachelle Vessey","doi":"10.1075/lplp.00083.ves","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/lplp.00083.ves","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44345,"journal":{"name":"Language Problems & Language Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2022-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43643060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper highlights the important role of Pidgin in economic development in West Africa. We use a unificationist model of dependence relations to explain the nexus between West African Pidgin (WAP) and the region’s socio-economic development. The study draws on the formidable role that Pidgin plays as the language of communication in the thriving informal cross-border markets along the Nigerian-Cameroonian border. The use of Pidgin is a special case of the general phenomenon of indigenous languages that serve as vehicular languages of the informal economy in Sub-Saharan Africa. The paper argues that the existence of WAP as a language of informal economic activities in this region fosters cooperation and social cohesion that plays a role in the expansion of informal cross-border trade, which is a primary source of household income for the people. The research reveals a sociolinguistic dimension to the expansion of informal economic activities that are a prerequisite to wealth creation and poverty elimination. This finding also suggests that Pidgin can be harnessed for an efficient transition from the informal to the formal economy. Therefore, the paper advocates a region-wide language policy that recognizes Pidgin as a factor in the region’s economic growth and development.
{"title":"West African Pidgin as a tool for socio-economic development","authors":"S. Ajagbe, Bridget Fonkeu, U. Edegbe","doi":"10.1075/lplp.21030.aja","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/lplp.21030.aja","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 This paper highlights the important role of Pidgin in economic development in West Africa. We use a unificationist\u0000 model of dependence relations to explain the nexus between West African Pidgin (WAP) and the region’s socio-economic development.\u0000 The study draws on the formidable role that Pidgin plays as the language of communication in the thriving informal cross-border\u0000 markets along the Nigerian-Cameroonian border. The use of Pidgin is a special case of the general phenomenon of indigenous\u0000 languages that serve as vehicular languages of the informal economy in Sub-Saharan Africa. The paper argues that the existence of\u0000 WAP as a language of informal economic activities in this region fosters cooperation and social cohesion that plays a role in the\u0000 expansion of informal cross-border trade, which is a primary source of household income for the people. The research reveals a\u0000 sociolinguistic dimension to the expansion of informal economic activities that are a prerequisite to wealth creation and poverty\u0000 elimination. This finding also suggests that Pidgin can be harnessed for an efficient transition from the informal to the formal\u0000 economy. Therefore, the paper advocates a region-wide language policy that recognizes Pidgin as a factor in the region’s economic\u0000 growth and development.","PeriodicalId":44345,"journal":{"name":"Language Problems & Language Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2022-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46302175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Review of Leal (2021): English and Translation in the European Union: Unity and Multiplicity in the Wake of Brexit","authors":"N. Ringe","doi":"10.1075/lplp.00084.rin","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/lplp.00084.rin","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44345,"journal":{"name":"Language Problems & Language Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2022-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41541309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In a world where linguistic and cultural diversity is increasingly celebrated, opting for English as the sole working language, as stipulated in the ASEAN Charter, on pragmatic grounds, has made ASEAN an interesting case study from the language policy and planning (LPP) perspective. ASEAN’s LPP can be understood as the manifestation of the principles of the ‘ASEAN Way’, i.e., quiet diplomacy, non-interference, and flexible consensus. Drawing on an analysis of the three overarching principles of the ASEAN Way and with reference to the ASEAN Charter, this paper problematises the ASEAN Way of LPP, arguing that a monolingual and essentialist approach to LPP might be both insufficient and inappropriate, and calls for an ecology-of-languages paradigm for ASEAN LPP. It invites readers to reimagine language policy that is more inclusive, democratic and socially equitable – one that reflects the sociolinguistic diversity of Southeast Asia and the Association.
{"title":"Problematising ASEAN language policy","authors":"H. Y. Lee, M. Hamid, I. Hardy","doi":"10.1075/lplp.21044.lee","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/lplp.21044.lee","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000In a world where linguistic and cultural diversity is increasingly celebrated, opting for English as the sole working language, as stipulated in the ASEAN Charter, on pragmatic grounds, has made ASEAN an interesting case study from the language policy and planning (LPP) perspective. ASEAN’s LPP can be understood as the manifestation of the principles of the ‘ASEAN Way’, i.e., quiet diplomacy, non-interference, and flexible consensus. Drawing on an analysis of the three overarching principles of the ASEAN Way and with reference to the ASEAN Charter, this paper problematises the ASEAN Way of LPP, arguing that a monolingual and essentialist approach to LPP might be both insufficient and inappropriate, and calls for an ecology-of-languages paradigm for ASEAN LPP. It invites readers to reimagine language policy that is more inclusive, democratic and socially equitable – one that reflects the sociolinguistic diversity of Southeast Asia and the Association.","PeriodicalId":44345,"journal":{"name":"Language Problems & Language Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2022-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43296588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Language gender differences at work have been widely described though hardly measured. The object of this study is whether there are gender differences in the use of language skills at work and what those differences are. A gender gap measure of linguistic skills used at work is presented and computed for 21 countries using data from the first round of the Survey of Adult Skills (n = 109 695). On the basis of the 21st-century literacy needs at work approach, we compound five one-skill indicators: use of oral skills, use of reading skills, use of writing skills, use of numeracy skills, and use of ICT skills. Gender differences are quantified in relative terms controlling for occupations’ gross categories. We provide a piece of evidence for a language gender gap at work in favor of men for all language skills analyzed; there are, however, differences by country and occupational categories.
{"title":"Language gender gap at work across OECD countries","authors":"T. Corbella, A. Alarcón, Joanna Andraszak","doi":"10.1075/lplp.21007.ala","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/lplp.21007.ala","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Language gender differences at work have been widely described though hardly measured. The object of this study is whether there are gender differences in the use of language skills at work and what those differences are. A gender gap measure of linguistic skills used at work is presented and computed for 21 countries using data from the first round of the Survey of Adult Skills (n = 109 695). On the basis of the 21st-century literacy needs at work approach, we compound five one-skill indicators: use of oral skills, use of reading skills, use of writing skills, use of numeracy skills, and use of ICT skills. Gender differences are quantified in relative terms controlling for occupations’ gross categories. We provide a piece of evidence for a language gender gap at work in favor of men for all language skills analyzed; there are, however, differences by country and occupational categories.","PeriodicalId":44345,"journal":{"name":"Language Problems & Language Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2021-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44241673","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
More than 25 years have passed since CLIL was first introduced in schools all over Europe with objectives, methods and organizational structures that often also vary from one country to another. Time has passed, and still without a precise framework of reference, CLIL shows its great potential as well as its drawbacks. Using data from research conducted in Italy with four CLIL teachers who teach physics through a foreign language, this article aims to highlight the possibility that CLIL can serve to make every teacher, regardless of the subject, aware of the role that language can play in learning. The data collected, which refer to the Italian education system, emphasize the central role of the subject teacher in CLIL implementation. They also draw attention to the need for important changes in the CLIL agenda for the coming years.
{"title":"Languages for learning","authors":"Silvia Minardi","doi":"10.1075/lplp.21025.min","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/lplp.21025.min","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000More than 25 years have passed since CLIL was first introduced in schools all over Europe with objectives, methods and organizational structures that often also vary from one country to another. Time has passed, and still without a precise framework of reference, CLIL shows its great potential as well as its drawbacks. Using data from research conducted in Italy with four CLIL teachers who teach physics through a foreign language, this article aims to highlight the possibility that CLIL can serve to make every teacher, regardless of the subject, aware of the role that language can play in learning. The data collected, which refer to the Italian education system, emphasize the central role of the subject teacher in CLIL implementation. They also draw attention to the need for important changes in the CLIL agenda for the coming years.","PeriodicalId":44345,"journal":{"name":"Language Problems & Language Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2021-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42436670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}