Language Planning in Education - Essay Example

LАNGUАGЕ РLАNNING IN ЕDUСАTIОN Insert Name Course, Class, Semester Institution Instructor Date Language Planning In Education Introduction Language is as old as the existence of man apparently, language is the factor that holds people together and establishes all social relationships among people. Worth noting is the actuality that without language, human communications could have been paralyzed. Apparently, it is only through language that people can pass messages, express their ideas, practice authority and coexist. Languages vary from ethnicity to another depending on the ancestral roots of the people concerned. Today, the Arabic language, arguably among the oldest language that have remained unaltered for long, has gone beyond the people of Arabic descent, and is currently being used in various parts of the world, thanks to the spread of the Islamic religion (Cha et al, 2008). It is important to note that, as much as many languages have resisted change, others have undergone many modifications and standardization. Language change is a result of either natural processes of linguistic orientation or deliberate language planning. This paper seeks to explain the primary differences between language change and language planning in light of education. The difference between language change and language planning Language change refers to the series of modifications that occur in relation to various aspects of language. Languages may change due to various factors, modernization being one such factor. Modernization is the process through which a language’s glossary adopts modern concepts that arise as part of the progressive change in the social world (Moore, 1996). Apparently, changes in language are inevitable considering that new things are invented every day, and such things need to be communicated among people. A good example is technology. The results of technology must be incorporated into old languages as a matter of making communications relevant and effective. Research indicates that some languages have resisted change, top among them the Arabic and Hindu languages. Even so, such languages as English and French are quickly changing as a way of responding to the changes in the natural ways of communication. Language planning on the other hand is a deliberate effort carried out as part of national policy. Language planning is part of government policy because language is used as a national symbol and part of the education system. Worth mentioning is the fact that all countries have unique languages as national languages and this means that the government has a central role to play in planning languages. Apparently, planning is a process that has so many aims and objectives to be achieved. Key among the objectives of language panning are such things as purification, reformation revival and standardization (Hornberger, 2006). Language purification is the process of protecting a language against foreign influence. This could have been extremely useful in all countries that were colonized. The European colonialists ensured that their languages were amalgamated into the local languages of the people conquered. This led to the extinction of some languages in totality. Purification is a process through which foreign aspects can be eliminated from a native language in such a way that it maintains originality. Other aims of language change include reformation. Reforming a language refers to the process of reconstructing a language. Reconstruction is a comprehensive approach that entails the insertion of new aspects such as fresh phonology and new words. Reformation is a common concept in the 21st century following globalization. With globalization comes such effect as cultural diffusion, and language, being an aspect of culture, cannot be exempted from the influence of cultural diffusion and syncretism. Revival is another objective of language change, and entails the process of bringing a language back to life. During the colonial era, some languages got extinct. After such extinction, the natives endeavored to bring their original languages back into use. Notably, this took place after the end of colonialism. The most common example of revival with regard to language is the case of Peru. The Quechua language was replaced with Spanish in the wake of colonialism. After independence, the country’s leadership attempted to replace Spanish with their authentic Peruvian Quechua. Example of language change The most appropriate example of language change is standardization, a concept that was common in most colonized communities. Worth noting is the reality that people feel proud of their language. When they come into contact with other communities, they tend to make their language appear superior and more prestigious than the other people’s. When the Spaniards arrived in Peru in the sixteenth century, the native language then was Quechua. As the Spaniards and the Peruvians interacted, it became apparent that Spanish was gaining more acceptability among the populace. The language became widely accepted and after some time, the government in power declared Spanish the national language, which was to be used in all official correspondences and communication among the people. This is a process of planning referred to as standardization. In order to better comprehend the process of language standardization, it is imperative to focus on the pillars and causes of language change and planning. One pillar and cause of language change and planning is referred to as language assimilation. Language assimilation is the process through which people living in a society believe that all people in the community ought to know, understand and use a certain language, irrespective of their origin, ethnicity and linguistic orientation (McCarty, 2008). It is important to note that some people act chauvinistically when it comes to the social order. Such chauvinism fosters language assimilation. When the French conquered most parts of West Africa, they endeavored to assimilate the natives as a way of creating a social order similar to the one in France. As part of the assimilation program, one was required to be literate in French. By literacy, they meant that one had to be able to read, speak and write the French language without much trouble. This is one major example of assimilation. To date, majority of West Africans speak French fluently, despite it being a multilingual society – multilingual in the sense that the society embraces many languages. This is comparable to the English Only policy in the US. Another cause of language change is linguistic pluralism. Linguistic pluralism refers to a state of linguistic coexistence. This is the case with bilingual and multilingual societies. In such societies, the people speak a number of languages. This is common in places where there are different languages serving as national language, provincial languages as well as educational languages. Switzerland is a country in which linguistic pluralism has been embraced for quite a long time. For years, the country has accommodated English, French, German, Italian and roman languages. Noteworthy is the reality that language change is inevitable in a multilingual society as the influences of one language impact on another and so on. However language planning separates the languages in such a manner that there is one widely accepted national language. Language change can be brought about by internationalization of a language. Internationalization refers to the efforts of giving a language a global outlook. Internationalization is a concept that took place in the 17th and 18th centuries following various colonization, conquests, as well as explorations and religious missions. Of particular interest is the English language. Arguably the most widely used language globally, the English language gained prominence in the 18th and 17th centuries. The English language became more accepted than other languages such as French because of its light phonology (Lo Bianco, 2004). Other languages such as Hebrew and Arabic language had rich morphology and phonology such that other peoples could not easily learn their topographies. Vernacularization is yet another cause of language change. This refers to the deliberate efforts to have a native language restored to the status of being the most recognized and used language in a community. Going back to the Peruvian example, what was happening after the departure of the Spaniard colonialists was an example of vernacularization. The fact that the people intended to maintain their authenticity explains why the people, through such leaders as President Juan Velasco Alvarado, tried to have Quechua language dominate as the national language such efforts were however thwarted in 1979 by the people’s constitution. The constitution declared Spanish the only recognized language that could serve as an official language for communicating and making formal correspondence. Notably, the Spanish language was being standardized again. These efforts at making a language widely acceptable have been challenged in the recent past by people going back to their native language – Quechua. The origins of standardization can be traced back to the 16th century. During this time, languages were being internationalized. As they gradually sipped into the foreign cultures, they were recognized as main languages and became standardized. The essence of such standardization was to have a cohesive society with a common language. Initially, standardization was aimed at having a way to administer colonial rule. The Europeans colonialists wanted to communicate directives to the locals in a way that they could easily comprehend. Apparently, this was not to be the case for long. After sometime, the locals had embraced the foreign languages, and soon they were the languages used in issuing instruction in schools. Worth mentioning however the actuality that all generations that came in the postcolonial period is adopted the national languages, especially those born in the urban areas. This causes tremendous changes in the languages of the locals. Historically speaking, standardization of language dates back to the beginning of interactions among communities. Such old empires as the Assyrian empire were associated with standardization of language since, according to historians; this was a way of showing domination. Having a language used empire-wide was considered an achievement since it marked the beginning of the end for all other languages in the area. The national languages in various countries today are results of such standardization. Notably, the English language prevails as the primary language in most nations (Lo Bianco, 2009). As much as the nations remain multilingual, the national language will always be seen as superior as, in most cases, such a language is taught in schools, and is, in fact the basic instruction-giving language. For instance, all nations that were under the rule of the Britons have most of their subjects in primary and secondary school taught in English. It is imperative to mention that throughout the history of language evolutions and changes, various categories of language have emerged. These include national language, provincial language, wider communication language, international language, group language, educational instruction, subject, literary language and religious language. National language is usually the official language used by the nationals of a country. On the contrary, provincial language is used in certain regions of a country. Wider communication languages are used in a region. This could be more than one country, for example, the Swahili language used in east Africa. The language used in more than five countries creates coexistence. International languages are highly standardized and used globally. Conversely, group languages are associated with ethnic groups and tribes. Focusing on the education sector, there is usually one language that is used in issuing instructions in a school setting. In most countries, the language is English. Subject languages are those taught in schools, for example the English grammar taught in most primary and secondary schools (Cha et al, 2008). Literary subjects are those used by scholars for purposes of teaching important concepts. The most appropriate example of literary languages is Latin and ancient Greek. The last standardized category of language is religious language. Such languages are associated with certain religious books and teachings. Perhaps the most important example is the Arabic language used in writing the Quran. Language education Language education refers to the comprehensive process of acquiring a new language. However, according to some prominent linguists, language education can as well entail the enhancement of a first language. Bilingualism is critically important in the world today as globalization takes root. Bilingualism and multilingualism are concepts that entail a person understanding and being capable of effortlessly using two or more languages (Ricento, 2000). Apparently, the most common example of language education is second language acquisition denoted as SLA. Second language acquisition refers to the process of an individual going to school to learn a language that is not their native language. This is exceptionally common in places where the colonial language was standardized to replace all native languages. Looking at the east African example again, primary and secondary school children go to school to acquire knowledge of the English language. Conclusion Second language acquisition is currently institutionalized and people are capable of acquiring it in schools. Primarily, second languages are acquired in the lower institutions of learning, such as primary and secondary schools. Linguists and psychologists associate young brains with mental malleability. This means that the brain of a young person can easily be modified to learn new concepts, unlike the minds of old people. This is the main reason why institutionalization of the second language acquisition form of language education has heavily concentrated on the lower institutions of learning. In most countries, the efforts of second language acquisition have been superseded. For instance, South Africa and Philippines have exceeded the efforts of second language acquisition. References Cha, Y-K And S-H Ham, (2008), The Impact Of English On The School Curriculum. In B. Spolsky And F. Hult, (Eds), Handbook Of Educational Linguistics (Pp 313-328). London: Blackwell. Hornberger, N.H. (2006), Frameworks And Models In Language Policy And Planning. In T. Ricento, (Ed), An Introduction To Language Policy (Pp 24-41) Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. Lo Bianco, J. (2004), Language Policy In Australia: A Site For Debate, Negotiation And Contest Of National Identity, Guide For The Development Of Language Education Policies In Europe, Strasbourg: Council Of Europe. Http://Www.Coe.Int/T/Dg4/Linguistic/Source/Lobiancoen.Pdf Lo Bianco, J. (2007), Bilingual And Multilingual Education In National Language Policy, Pp 9-23 In Proceedings Of The Bilingual And Multilingual In The National Language Policy Conference Edited Kirk Lo Bianco, J. (2009), Second Languages And Australian Schooling: Review And Proposals, Australian Education Review 54, Camberwell, Vic: Australian Council For Education Research. McCarty, T.L, Skutnab-Kangas, T., And Magga, O.H. (2008), Education For Speakers Of Endangered Languages. In B. Spolsky And F. M. Hult, Editors, The Handbook Of Educational Linguistics, (Pp 297-312) London: Blackwell Publishing Moore, H. (1996) Language Policies As Virtual Realities. TESOL Quarterly, 30, 1, 473-497.Person And Udom Warotamasikkhadit, Royal Institute Of Thailand, Nontaburi, Thailand: Sahamitr Printing And Publishing. Ricento, T, (2000) Historical And Theoretical Perspectives In Language Policy And Planning. In T. Ricento, (Ed), Ideology, Politics And Language Policies, (Pp 9-25).Amsterdam : Benjamins. Read More