Language Planning and Policy Post

This blog post is a reflection on this week's readings including Chapter four of International English in Its Sociolinguistic Contexts by McKay & Bokhorts-Heng and the article, Language idealistic and policies. Multilingualism and education. Language and linguistics compass by Farr and Song. 

This week’s readings discussed the relationship between language ideologies and education. I agree that linguistic culture, our beliefs on a language are in fact inseparable from education and as educators we must understand these language ideologies. So what exactly is a language ideology? The article defines this term as explicit or implicit representations that construe the intersection of language and human beings in a social world. These language ideologies connect linguistics to a social construction. The article also discusses two specific language ideologies relevant for education including the belief in language standardization and monolingualism. These two ideologies relate to language policies which may determine a number of things including what language is used and learned in schools and language choices at home and in the community. Language policies also influences what languages are used where, when, by whom, and what choices in grammar, vocabulary and genre and style are appropriate in certain contexts. The relationship between education and language policies is complex but needs to be recognized by educators for their students.

The article mentions that not only can language policies be stated explicitly via official documents including standardized tests and laws, but it is also derived implicitly by de facto practices including the status of English language. The U.S. Prop 227 is a statement of a language policy. As a pre-service bilingual educator Prop 227 is something that I am familiar with. Prop 227 would require all public schools to provide instruction in English only. This ignores the language differences and needs of minority languages and will make a major impact on language use and the overall education of these students. As the article later states- teachers need to feel empowered as agents in interpreting and implementing language policies affecting their teaching practices (660). I absolutely agree with this statement. I think it is important to recognize that you are more than an educator but an advocate for your students. I will be more than a bilingual educator but also an advocate for bilingual education. This requires an understanding of these ideologies and an understanding of our roles in the classroom, community and in the nation. We need to do our best to provide an equitable education despite students' culture, sexual orientation, race, sex,or English proficiency.  

McKay and Bokhorst-Hengy discuss the English-only movement in the U.S. Including the 1981 proposed constitutional amendment “Senate Joint Resolution 72” which would make English the official language of the United States and make creating or implementing any law which requires the use of any language other than English by the federal or state government unlawful. While languages other than English could be used in educational instruction, ultimately bilingual ballots would not be allowed and maintaining one’s L1 would not be a goal of bilingual education. I found the comment by Hawakaya supporting English as the official language to be ironic. He was quoted as saying “a common language unifies, multiple languages divide”.  How does not allowing someone the right to vote, or not giving them equal opportunities “unite” us? How does discriminating against a group of individuals based on their English-speaking abilities “unite” us? Not providing bilingual ballots or an equitable education for linguistically diverse individuals does not unite us as a nation, it divides us and discriminates.  

Later, the article mentions another hot topic in bilingual education; codeswitching between languages. While some teachers see codeswitching as a lack of competence in one or both languages, codeswitching does serve a purpose. Yes, mixing languages is not random. Codeswitching could occur within a change of topic, participants or setting or have a communicative effect. Codeswitching is strategic and holds social meaning. I thought of a few instances in which a student may codeswitch. For those of you who speak more than one language, you are aware that things don’t always translate exactly. In one of my bilingual education classes, we discussed students that codeswitch as a means of effective communication which I believe should be seen positively. Some students may codeswitch for social reasons. We read an article earlier this semester about a student who got in trouble for saying “I love you” to a peer in her native tongue. Some students even speak in their L1 without even noticing it. One bilingual educator was happy when her student codeswitched. The student spoke Spanish at home with his family and with his close friends. Spanish is a language that is close to his heart which he speaks it to the people he loves and his codeswithching should be taken as a compliment of how comfortable he feels with the teacher. Teachers need to see that codeswitching has a number of purposes and embrace codeswithcing in the appropriate manner.

One last point I found interesting from the article brought was English as an official second language in order to promote economic and political positions in the world. One example of a country that sees English in this way, where English has been adopted as a tool but where local values and traditions are still valued is Japan. I speak with Yuki, my Japanese conversational partner every week. Last Thursday we actually talked about how common English is in Japan. He told me while they must learn English in Japan for college entrance exams and his friends all spoke at least some English- Japanese men and women rarely use English outside of those contexts. He told me there is low motivation from students to learn English. While he stated English was not needed in Japan in everyday life he did discuss the economic and political advantages of English in Japan when he told me that studying English at an American university will help him prove his English proficiency and get a job in Japan.