Language Planning Kasia Starykiewicz Helai Mussa Larissa Lauer Caro Kirchhof Language Planning “Language planning involves the creation and implementation of an official language policy about how languages and linguistic varieties of a country are to be used.” (Crystal 2007) 2 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Language Planning: Contents I 1. Language Planning and Language Policy z Levels & Consequences of Language Planning z Pluricentric Languages z Case Studies: India and Singapore z Language Status 2. Language Policy and Functional Development 1. Functional Development of a Language 2. Language Contact Phenomena (Case Study) 3. Goal of Language Policies 4. Minority Languages 5. Case Study: Canada and Louisiana 3 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Language Planning: Contents II 1. Standardization & Implementation 1. Processes of Standardization (e.g. StE) 2. Corpus Planning 3. Status Planning 4. Acquisition Planning (e.g. USA) 2. Culture & Language Planning 1. Goals of Language Planning 2. Case Study: Irish Gaelic 3. Case Study: Hebrew 4 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Language Planning and Language Policy 1. Levels and Consequences of Language Planning 2. Pluricentric Languages 3. Case Studies: India and Singapore 4. Language Status 5 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Language Planning and Language Policy z Acts of language planning and language policy – planned interventions – subnational, national, supranational 6 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Levels of Language Planning z Subnational – development of restricted variety – expansion for communication – spread of use 7 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Levels of Language Planning z National – official medium for national communication – standardization, codification, institutional prescription – language planning interventions/policies 8 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Levels of Language Planning z Supranational – UNESCO – Pluricentric Languages – German spelling reform – unification of Portuguese 9 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Consequences of Language Planning z normality of multilinguality z unilateral consequences – interlingual relationships z function z status z prestige z value 10 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 The Case of Pluricentric Languages z German z Portuguese z English z French z Chinese z ... 11 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Case Study: India z 3-language formula (secondary education)‏ – local, Hindi, English z prestige z suspicion, jealousy 12 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Case Study: Singapore z Policy since 1956: – English only in government and courts – dual medium schools z English plus 1 of the following (Malayan, Tamil, or Chinese [Mandarin, Cantonese, Teochew, or Hokkien] z insurance of lingua franca and bilingual literacy 13 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Language Use in Singapore I z “Singlish“ – diglossically low English – not intelligible to Euro-American native speakers – Combination of English, Chineses, Malay, Tamil Æ reflects huge cultural diversity z multilingual media z http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ess4LnyrhQU 14 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Language Use in Singapore II z Alamak /ah-lah-‘mahk, AlA'mAk/ expression of dismay, surprise or alarm z Cheemology /‘chee-mah-lo-gee, ´tSi´mAlɒdZi´/ A study of something profound z Blur : /blə; –ə´/ Ignorant, stupid, slow to catch on, confused, muddle-headed z Talk cock : 1 Talk rubbish, spout nonsense, make an unfounded statement. 2 Engage in chit-chat or small talk. (originates form Engl: cock-and-bull (story) 15 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Language Use in Singapore III z Lau: mild exclamation expression, oh my goodness!, oh dear!, oh no! z aiyah: /ı-‘yah, √ɪ'jA˘/ An exclamation used at the beginning of a sentence to express consternation, despair, dismay, exasperation, etc. z mooncake: n. [Eng. transl. of Mand. 月 yuèbǐng: yuè moon + bǐng round, flat, traditional cake] z muffadet: /‘muf-ə-det, »m√f´dEt/ n. [corruption of Eng. hermaphrodite] Eurasian slang An effeminate male 16 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Language Status z Who/where are the authorities for language planning? z Cooperation? – national – transnational z Examples – Germany – EU 17 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Problems of Language Policy (Status)‏ z questions that remain unclear on the supranational level z the acceptance of a functional profile for individual languages and varieties Æ the functions of a language on different levels in society 18 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Language Planning and Functional Development zFunctional Development of a Language zLanguage Contact Phenomena (Case Study) zGoal of Language Policies zMinority Languages zCase Study: Canada and Louisiana 19 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Functional Development I z Two aspects of language behavior from a social point of view: – establishing and maintaining social relationships – conveying information about the speaker Æ“clue-bearing role of language” (Trudgill 2000) – social status 20 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Functional Development II z use of a language/variety as a written medium z spread of language across domains z functional profile through contact phenomena – “chance infiltration of foreign elements” (Aitchison 2001) 21 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Language contact phenomena z looser or tighter nature (e.g. polyglot speech communities)‏ z relationship: – stable – dynamic and changeable 22 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Extreme Language Contact z Ma’a spoken in Tanzania – formerly Cushitic – “bantuized” through extensive contact with Bantu speakers – Ma’a resembles more the Bantu (Niger-Congo) than the Cushitic languages (Afro-Asiatic) z Linguistic features: – Cushitic languages (SOV) – Bantu languages (SVO) 23 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Bantu vs. Cushitic Languages http://doktorgee.worldzonepro.com/ BlogFiles/AfricanLanguage Families-Blench.jpg 24 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Language Policies z maintain stability z allow individual developments of dynamic situations z support language change z can disturb stable equilibrium of two languages z might counter processes of change 25 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Minority languages z misconception of multilingual countries as monolingual – official languages vs. minority languages – large vs. small minorities z bilingualism 26 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Minority languages (Trudgill 2000)‏ z Language: z as minority language in: – German – Denmark, France, Hungary, etc. – Turkish – Greece, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, etc. – Greek – Italy, Albania, Turkey, etc. – USA, Ukraine, Czechia, – Polish Lithuania, Kazachstan, etc. – Russia, Norway, Sweden – Finnish 27 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Minority Languages z Many multilingual countries support dynamic processes – reducing the functional feasibility (practicability) of minority languages z Minority languages losers in the process of modernization – lack of institutional and state support 28 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Case Study: French in Canada and Louisiana z French: – majority language in Québec (over 80%) – minority language in New Brunswick, Ontario and Manitoba z economic dominance of Canada and United States – fewer French native speakers 29 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 French in Canada http://www.state.gov/cms_images/map_canada.jpg http://www.movingincanada.com/Quebec/Quebec-Map.jpg 30 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Functional Development in Canada z supervised by the ‘Office Québécois de la Langue Française’ (1961) z formalized in the ‘Charter of the French Language’ z French: national language of communication in institutional and public media z English: highly restricted use 31 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Functional Atrophy in Louisiana z Cajuns were an ethnic minority group (little prestige) z use of French in different domains grew more restricted z today: ~25% French – especially in individual parishes exclusively at home z status planning 32 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Standardization & Implementation 1. Processes of Standardization (e.g. StE) 2. Corpus Planning 3. Status Planning 4. Acquisition Planning (e.g. USA)‏ 33 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Processes of Standardization z Institutional Æ requires political authorization z Codified in dictionaries and grammars z Prescriptive and/or descriptive use 34 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Processes of Standardization Æ selection Æ acceptance Æ elaboration Æ codification 35 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 The Development of StE: I 1. Selection of Basilect – ~1500: London, Oxford, Cambridge – centralized in London: economy, court, social 36 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 The Development of StE: II 2. Acceptance z sociolect of upper class z more middle class in higher offices (Henry VII) z prestige ↔ educated students z ‘universally intelligible’ Æ nationalism z literature: Chaucer, later Shakespeare 37 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 The Development of StE: III 3. Elaboration – spread over domains z translation of Bible into English z replacement of French/Latin – adoption by authorities (court, parliament) 38 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 The Development of StE: IV 4. Codification – dictionaries, grammars (prescriptive), style manuals, pronunciation guides – usage by authors z gain of popularity z (move toward corpus planning) 39 Language Planning Nov. 26, 2008 Types of Implementation I 1. Corpus Planning z spelling, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary z changes in structure(or corpus) z e.g. emergence of StE 2. Status Planning z definition of a language’s/variety’s status in a society z usage in court/official publications (for