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Book part
Publication date: 15 July 2009

Aleksei S. Asvaturov and Dmitry K. Ravinskiy

The Department of Nationality Literatures of the Russian National Library (RNB) in Saint Petersburg is a unique repository of publications in diverse languages of the peoples of…

Abstract

The Department of Nationality Literatures of the Russian National Library (RNB) in Saint Petersburg is a unique repository of publications in diverse languages of the peoples of the former USSR. In the collections are works in the Latvian language not to be found in Riga, works in the Tatar language not to be found in Kazan, and so on. Over the course of many decades academic researchers from all over the world have worked with these collections. Following the breakup of the USSR, the relevance of new functions for the department become apparent. First, as the nationality communities in Saint Petersburg came to life, many people were drawn back to their own ethnic roots. The Department of Nationality Literatures serves, in its own way, as a national center for representatives of nationality communities. Second, the need to promote tolerance is important in Russia today. The Department brings into the public eye the cultural riches of diverse peoples and, in that way, promotes mutual understanding and tolerance. The results of a sociological study have been employed to determine the role of the Department in current changing sociocultural conditions.

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Advances in Library Administration and Organization
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84855-710-9

Article
Publication date: 11 October 2019

Elena V. Susimenko, Galina V. Shevtsova, Svetlana V. Rozhdestvenskaya, Elena B. Narochnaya and Anastasia A. Popova

The specific character of language policy is considered in multi-ethnic Russian regions in this paper. The relevance of this paper is because of the fact that language is one of…

Abstract

Purpose

The specific character of language policy is considered in multi-ethnic Russian regions in this paper. The relevance of this paper is because of the fact that language is one of the most important indicators of ethnic identity, and it fulfills a crucial role in the self-preservation of the ethnic community. The purpose of this paper is to determine the status and trends of language policy in multi-ethnic regions as a part of national education.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors analyze the historical aspect of language policy with the help of problem and comparative analysis and study the problem of bilingualism in the modern Russian society.

Findings

The threat of loss or the ban on land national (mother) language, as well as its infringement form an intolerant consciousness and attitudes in the mass consciousness and behavior of people. It is one of the factors of the deterioration of interethnic interaction and increase of ethnocentric attitudes to counter assimilation and acculturation. Language has communicative, integration, political functions in modern society. It is very important for the preservation of ethnic education. The analysis shows the inconsistency in the language policy whose roots lie in the historical past.

Originality/value

It is substantiated that the existence of a variety of peoples, ethnic groups with their own independent languages challenge state government bodies to solve a number of problems associated with ensuring the optimal functioning of Russian and national (mother) languages. It is concerned with the quality of education in the education system and the advisability of using languages in official events and the volume of television and radio programs in national languages, and so on.

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On the Horizon , vol. 27 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1074-8121

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Article
Publication date: 20 April 2022

Kasun Gajasinghe and Priyanka Jayakodi

This paper aims to explore the relationship between religious and linguistic nationalism in Sri Lanka in the context of the controversy on singing the national anthem in Tamil…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the relationship between religious and linguistic nationalism in Sri Lanka in the context of the controversy on singing the national anthem in Tamil during National Independence Day celebrations. It illuminates how language and religious policy work together to maintain Sinhala–Buddhist hegemony and exclude Tamil speakers as second-class citizens in postcolonial Sri Lanka.

Design/methodology/approach

The examination of the anthem controversy includes language and religious policy documents, newspaper articles and YouTube videos.

Findings

The national anthem as a site of struggle is a powerful case to explore how nation-states’ actors mobilize affect, intertwining ideologies on language, religion, ethnicity, geography, and so on to maintain and reinforce dominance over minoritized groups. Therefore, the authors believe that (singing) the national anthem can be a site of study for language policy.

Research limitations/implications

The authors acknowledge that the data used in this study are only in Sinhala and English and identify the need for further research using data sources in Tamil.

Originality/value

While this paper generally contributes to the scholarly dialogues on religion and language, it also sheds light on understanding politics in Sri Lanka. Finally, the authors propose that any meaningful policy implementation efforts toward achieving linguistic justice in Sri Lanka need to include parallel policy changes that promote equality among religions.

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English Teaching: Practice & Critique, vol. 21 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1175-8708

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Book part
Publication date: 16 August 2016

Ana Ljubojević

The focus of this paper is a comparative case study of the symbolic role of the Croatian and Serbian languages and writing in discourses of the Nation and the National. Our…

Abstract

The focus of this paper is a comparative case study of the symbolic role of the Croatian and Serbian languages and writing in discourses of the Nation and the National. Our research is situated at the intersection of the scientific fields of sociolinguistics, memory studies, and studies on nationalism. Using Anthony D. Smith’s ethno-symbolist approach to the study of nationalism, which focuses on the reciprocal relationship between elites and the people, we analyze the case of anti-Cyrillic protests in Vukovar, Croatia, which were triggered by the implementation of Croatian minority rights legislation. This research analyses the role of language and its use as a symbol in memory practices and accompanying discourses in Croatia and its echoes in Serbian public space. The top-down perspective observes state-promoted events and populist implications of language mis(use). Alternatively, the bottom-up approach encompasses various actions and initiatives of so-called “activists” who belong either to “nationalist” organizations or to liberal/democratic NGOs. The majority of voices that are not aligned with the above-mentioned organizations are neglected in the public space (Obradovic-Wochnik, 2013).

We explore the dynamics created between social groups promoting populist ideas, other groups promoting alternative practices, and their influence on the ideological pattern adopted by ruling elites.

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Narratives of Identity in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78635-078-7

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Book part
Publication date: 7 December 2023

Anna Björnö

This chapter explores how critical language theory could be applied to the language dynamics in higher education that is created by internationalization and university's

Abstract

This chapter explores how critical language theory could be applied to the language dynamics in higher education that is created by internationalization and university's traditional role in maintaining national languages. Language policy is an instrument of governance that is increasingly used to regulate the linguistic situation at the university, so it is at the center of my analysis. As a broad concept, language policy is not limited to the formulations of the policy text but includes interactions of different actors and addresses instruments mediating the university's linguistic situation. A critical approach highlights that language policy is permeated with power, which is unequally distributed between different actors. I suggest further conceptualization of the language dynamics of the internationalized university created by national language protection and internationalization through three layers of analysis. The first layer derives from the Bourdieu's approach to language in society focusing on the societal hierarchies that are underpinned by language use. It also includes a discussion about structure versus agency, and a conversation about the navigational capacities of individuals to challenge preestablished social structures. The second layer discusses dialogue as a theoretical approach to the process of negotiating language policy. This is where agency is being realized, depending on the relative power of different actors in the particular social context. The third layer explores the conception of language, how different ways to understand what language is are turned into policy principles.

Details

Theory and Method in Higher Education Research
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83797-521-1

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Article
Publication date: 5 September 2016

M. Obaidul Hamid and Shuqin Luo

While education policymakers in Asian polities find it difficult to resist the English language which has attained a new status in “late capitalism”, prevailing policy-level…

Abstract

Purpose

While education policymakers in Asian polities find it difficult to resist the English language which has attained a new status in “late capitalism”, prevailing policy-level perceptions also suggest that a ruthless adoption of English may undermine national languages, identities and cultures. Despite the heightened commercialisation of English as a global language this policy dilemma raises some critical questions. For example, how can individual entrepreneurs also acting as “language policy actors” effectively promote for-profit English teaching ventures without being accused of compromising national interests, identities and traditions? This article makes a modest attempt towards addressing these questions by conducting a critical analysis of Li Yang’s English teaching venture called “Crazy English” in China and its underlying discourses.

Design/methodology/approach

From a sample of English teaching resources available on its official website, this paper identifies and discusses four major discourses on the relationship between English and individual entrepreneurship in English on the one hand and Chinese and China’s national values and interests on the other.

Findings

This paper argues that collectively these discourses represent a model of “edu-business” in English language teaching that reconciles the dichotomies between nationalism and post-nationalism, individualism and collectivism and public and private interests in a neoliberal world.

Originality/value

With the onset of globalisation and its impact on all aspects of life including the economy, education and communication, there have been on-going debates on the emerging tensions between the nation-state and the forces of trans/post-nationalism, the latter being underpinned by neo-liberalism. These tensions have also been observed in the fields of English and English language education. While research has examined how macro-level policymakers respond to globalisation through their English language policies, there has been limited work on how individual language policy actors engaged in the commercialisation of English reconcile the apparently irreconcilable forces of nationalism and post-nationalism. The contribution of the present article lies in illustrating a case that seeks to reconcile these forces through discourses and discursive strategies.

Article
Publication date: 31 July 2009

Hanne Tange and Jakob Lauring

This paper aims to identify communicative practices emerging from the management decision to implement English as a corporate language, assessing their implications for social…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to identify communicative practices emerging from the management decision to implement English as a corporate language, assessing their implications for social interaction and relationships within the multilingual workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory study based on qualitative research interviews was used.

Findings

The analysis highlights the discrepancy between a general openness to the use of English as a corporate language in Danish organisations and language users' communicative practice. This leads to the identification of language clustering and thin communication as characteristic behaviours within the multilingual workplace.

Research limitations/implications

The interviews were performed in Danish organisations alone. New research is required in order to apply the findings to other linguistic or national settings.

Practical implications

The research identifies two barriers to employee interaction within the multilingual workplace. This is relevant in relation to language planning as well as diversity management.

Originality/value

The paper is original in its application of a sociolinguistic perspective to employees' linguistic practice. This points to the importance of language as a social resource and the possible limitations of corporate language policies.

Details

Journal of Communication Management, vol. 13 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-254X

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Book part
Publication date: 17 June 2020

Naomi Fillmore

The history of Nepal gives some insight into its current status as a diverse and multilingual nation with more than 123 languages. Multilingualism is part of the founding…

Abstract

The history of Nepal gives some insight into its current status as a diverse and multilingual nation with more than 123 languages. Multilingualism is part of the founding philosophy of the country but since it was unified in 1768, government attitudes to language and language education have fluctuated. Though historically education in Nepal has been delivered exclusively in the Nepali language and, more recently, in English, the Government of Nepal is now committed to introducing mother tongue-based, multilingual education (MLE).

Nepal has among the lowest literacy rates in the world (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2015) and the government seeks to turn this trend around, particularly for students who do not speak Nepali as a mother tongue. The commitment to strengthening mother tongue-based MLE features prominently in the Constitution of Nepal (2015), the Act Relating to Compulsory and Free Education (2018) and the School Sector Development Plan (MOEST, 2018). This new constitution declares that “all the mother tongues spoken in Nepal shall be the national language” (2015 article 6).

Implementing these policy commitments in over 120 languages across seven provinces and 753 municipalities is the next challenge for the fledgling democracy. As a “wicked hard” policy area, doing so will require a solid understanding of local attitudes, beliefs, resources, and capacities. This chapter gives a unified review of the history, languages, ideologies, beliefs, and trends that currently influence MLE in Nepal and are likely to play a role into the future.

Details

Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2019
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83867-724-4

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Book part
Publication date: 17 February 2017

Rebecca Piekkari and D. Eleanor Westney

The multilingual MNC provides a promising territory for enhancing the dialogue between organization theory and International Business. We draw parallels between research on the…

Abstract

The multilingual MNC provides a promising territory for enhancing the dialogue between organization theory and International Business. We draw parallels between research on the multinational corporation and that on the multilingual corporation. Our review shows that the changing conceptualizations of the MNC toward a network model have carved space for language-sensitive research in International Business. We scrutinize this stream of research from the viewpoint of three organization theory lenses: the role of language in organizational design and architecture, in identity building and culture, and in organizational political systems, and comment on future research.

Details

Multinational Corporations and Organization Theory: Post Millennium Perspectives
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78635-386-3

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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1998

Mariel Tisdell

Australian language policy implementations have received a great deal of public exposure since the launching of the National Policy on Languages in 1987. The paper defines the…

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Abstract

Australian language policy implementations have received a great deal of public exposure since the launching of the National Policy on Languages in 1987. The paper defines the concepts of language and policy and reports on measures by Australian governments to implement the recommendation of the National Policy on Languages and the reaction by business and industry to some of the assumptions underlying these implementations. A brief historical overview is given of Australia’s policies of monolingualism and assimilation and the wide‐ranging changes which have been attempted by different Australian governments to highlight the multicultural and multilingual nature of Australia. The paper concludes that despite the growing involvement of Australia in exports to Asian markets ‐ in particular East Asian markets ‐ the implementations of the language policies have not yet produced the substantial number of competent speakers in languages other than English which Australia needs to unlock the decorum of business practices in Asia and Europe. The paper attempts to give the underlying reasons for Australia’s persistent monolingualism.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 25 no. 2/3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

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