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Language Planning Newsletter, August 1975, Vol. 1, No. 3

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Language Planning Newsletter, August 1975, Vol. 1, No. 3 EAST-WEST CULTURE LEARNING INSTITUTE c;. , Language Planning in Sweden Bv BERTIL MOLDE* The Swedish Academy In 1786 Gustavus III, king of Sweden, founded the Swedish Academy. According to its statutes the main purpose of the Academy should be "to develop the purity, strength, and nobi lity of the Swedish lan­reform, however, was made by the government, not guage." The Academy should fulfill this purpose by by the Academy, which, as a matter of fact, was working and publishing a Swedish dictionary; a very strongly opposed to certain parts of it. Since grammar, and "such treatises that can contribute to then it has been accepted that the Academy can the consolidation and promotion of good taste." The make minor changes in spelling and flexion (in the Swedish Academy thus was the first language plan­word-list) without consulting anybody about it, but ning agency of Sweden. Its main linguistic work it cannot by itself undertake a real spelling reform. during its almost 200 years of existence has been If a spelling reform should be made in Sweden, a connected with spelling and with the codification of special reform bill must be passed by the Swedish .......-~ vocabulary. Since 1892, the Academy has been pub­parliament. lishing a comprehensive scientific dictionary of Swedish from the 1520 onwards, called the Svenska Language Planning Agencies in Scandinavia Akademiens ordbok over svenska spraket (SAGB; Swedish is closely related to Danish and Norwe­ the Swedish Academy's dictionary of the Swedish gian, and Swed ish is the second official and national language). This dictionary uses a scientific and his­language of Finland (the other language, spoken by toric approach. To date, it has reached the middleof the great majority of Finns, is Finnish). Icelandic the letter S (in 26 large volumes); it will be finished and Faroese, too, are related to the other Scandina­ some time around the year 2000. vian languages, most closely to Norwegian. There More important for Swedish usage and for the are old and close political, economical, cultural, and general public is the "word-list" of the Academy, social connections between the Nordic Countries, Svenska Akademiens ordlista over svenska spraket and the fairly good mutual understandability be­ (SAGL), first published in 1874; its tenth revised tween Swedish, Danish and Norwegian (especially edition appeared in 1973. This word-list now con­in writing) of course has been of the utmost impor" tains about 150,000 Swedish words, giving their tance for the relations between these countries. spelling, flexion, and to a certain extent pronuncia­These relations nowadays have their special politi­ tion. Definitions are offered rather sparingly. The cal platform in the Nordic Council, an institution for book is widely accepted as normative regarding cooperation between the Nordic countries on a gov­ spelling and flexion. Many users also believe that ernmental and parliamentary level. words not included in the' book must not be used in The question of cooperation between the Nordic good Swedish; this is certainly not the case. A word­countries was very much in focus during World War list of some 150,000 words, published once every II, and Nordic linguists were strongly interested in other decade, can of course not include all words in strengthening the connections between the Nordic use, especially not terms from the more specialized Languages, especially Swedish, Danish and Norwe- i' vocabularies of the sciences and professions. gian. In the beginning of the forties there were Since Swedish spelling was stabilized in the plans for establishing a common Nordic language 1800's, there has been one real and official reform committee. These plans, however, were abandoned /-.... of Swedish spelling, in 1906. This rather important at that time, but they have been taken up again late­ ly. Instead, in 1944 a Swedish language committee 'Professor Molde is Director of the Swedish Language was founded (Namnden for svensk sprakvard 'the Committee. He is, as well, a member of the Editorial Board of Cultivation of the Swedish Language'; in Board of the Language Planning Newsletter. (Continued on Page 3) ....! News and Commentary Conferences, Seminars, Workshops COMMENTARY ON CHINESE LANGUAGE PLAN­ MEETING: International Conference on the NING (cf. vol. 1, no. 2, lead article) Methodology of Sociolinguistic Surveys In our first 'letter to the editor', Dr. John Lum of An International Conference on the Methodol­ the National Institute of Education (U.S. Depart­ ogy of Sociolinguistic Surveys was held at McGill ment of Health, Education and Welfare) writes to University in Montreal, Canada, on May 19-21, update the description of Prof. John DeFrancis that 1975, with Dr. Richard Tucker acting as Chairman. pinyin is relegated to a secondary role in support The Conference was organized by the Center for Ap­ of the tradition characters. Based on Lum's obser­ plied Linguistics, with support from the Ford Foun­ vation as a member of the American Linguistics dation, the International Development Centre of Delegation to the People's Republic of China (Oc­ Canada and the Canada Council. Participants in­ tober to November, 1974), it is his opinion that pin­ cluded scholars from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin yin is no longer in a secondary role. "It is part and America as well as from Canada and the United parcel of China's language reform movement, the States. other two components being (a) the simplification The Conference was devoted largely to the theo­ of characters and (b) the popularization of putong­ retical and practical aspects of the methodology of hua. Our China hosts, by the way, repeatedly men­ sociolinguistic surveys, but was also concerned with tioned that much of what our delegation saw in the broader setting in which such surveys are car­ China's language efforts was devised in the last two ried out, their function as bases for language plan­ years." Those interested in further details on ning, the rationale for planning and carrying out Chinese language planning should see the forth­ surveys, the interpretation of results and the im­ coming volume entitled Language and Linguistics plementation of conclusions or recommendations in the PRC, to be published by the University of based on the findings of such surveys. Texas Press (Austin, Texas). The need to make the papers, the proceedings and perhaps a state of the art paper was expressed Linguistics Serves the People by the participants. As soon as such a publication In a recent article describing a visit to China, materializes, it will be announced in this Newsletter. Charles Ferguson discussed National Language CONFERENCE: Language and Nation Building Planning, Minority Nationalities and the English language teaching in China. The article appeared The National Center for Language Development, in the March issue of ITEMS (Social Science Re­ the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Repub­ lic of Indonesia and the Asian Association on Na­ search Council Newsletter). In this article, Profes­ --.." sor Ferguson pOinted out an interesting comparison tional Languages (ASANAL) are jointly sponsoring between the U.S. approach to language as con­ the Third Conference on Asian Languages. The first trasted with that of China. "The application of lin­ and second conferences were held in Manila in 1972 guistic expertise to language problems of our so­ and 1974. This third one will be held in Jakarta, In­ ciety tends to be incidental and nonprestigious. donesia, on December 1-6, 1975. Further informa­ Chinese scholarly concern with language in con­ tion may be obtained from the Conference Direc­ trast, is so completely problem-oriented and politi­ tor, Amran Halim, Jalan Diponegoro 82, Jakarta cised that linguistic theory as such is incidental and Pusat, Indonesia. nonprestigious." Further, he noted that "The de­ velopment of a viable, standardized national lan­ SEMINAR: Linguistics and Sociolinguistics in guage for the communication needs of the country Indonesia is given considerable visibility." The staff members of the National Center for ---For fl:lrtherimormation, see the fort-hcoming vol­ Language Develo.pment,and lecturers fwm several ume entitled Language and Linguistics in the PRC. universities and teacher training colleges will parti­ cipate in a seminar in West Java this summer (July 1 to August 31) . Lectures and discussions Will in­ THE LANGUAGE AND EDUCATION clude topics in linguistics, SOCiolinguistics, research PROGRAMME OF THE INTERNATIONAL methodology and language planning. AFRICAN INSTITUTE A Language and Education Unit, concerned with the comparative review of linguistic research' and 2) To organise, jointly with institutions in Africa, development in Africa has been set up in 1975. It a new series of International African Seminars, on is proposed that the Unit should address itself to the theme of Language and Education. the following tasks: 3) To continue and expand the IAI programme .., 1) To assemble, review and disseminate infor­ of publications on African languages. mation on past, present and proposed policies and 4) To endeavour to provide, as and when re­ practices relating to the use of African languages quested, practical support for language and educa­ in education, the mass media and public affairs, tion projects in Africa. with special reference to the contrasting or com­ Further information may be obtained by writing: plementary roles of African and non-African lan­ International African Institute guages in the educational, cultural,
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