LPP in Europe: macro and micro perspectives

Jeroen Darquennes

Background

Research on

language contact and language conflict language policy and planning ‚old‘ European language minorities challenges which EU faces in terms of

language diversity

member state level (domestic level < de Swaan) level of ‚transnational civil society‘ (< de Swaan)

big challenge

Big challenge …

“… c’est d’avoir à penser et à organiser la coexistence des langues, à concevoir et à maîtriser leur interaction” (North 2009: 5).

In other words: there is a need to think about …

the language repertoires that people (ought to) develop (cf. literature dealing with the question of ‘legitimate language repertoires’)

the weight, the role and the distribution of various languages in (different domains of) society

the ‘inclusive’ character of multilingualism

These LPP-related challenges are not new, yet ...

difficult to give ‘one size fits all’-answers

≠ political realities ≠ ecologies of language ≠ ways of looking at / interpreting language

diversity

The micro- and the macro-lens

Classical subdivision: micro ‚vs.‘ macro

number of speakers involved in interaction

space of interaction

period of time of interaction

Alternative approach (in view of a discussion of language diversity at the level of society)

impression of ‚prototypical‘ micro and macro views on ...

society language / language distribution language and power

micro macro ?

Society

micro macro

individual bigger picture

communities of practice, networks, institutions

‚pre-fabricated‘ compartmentalization (spatial and social entities)

micro stresses complexity of society (more complex than pre-fabricated categories allow us to think)

micro super/hyperdiversity micro transnationalism (away from

‚methodical nationalism‘) micro stresses permeability of borders

macro reject / rethink categories?

Example:

‚old‘ vs.‘ ‚new‘ language minority

reject problem

political reality contribution to policy development new name = ?

rethink challenge

which features ? ‚floating‘ weight of such ‚features‘ as ancestry,

language, self-categorisation, social organization (power)

rethink possible way-out

dust off macro-literature that stresses heterogeneity / multi-layeredness of language groups

integrate micro-perspectives in research find ways to integrate micro-perspectives in

contributions to policy literature systematic research in line with ideas expressed in ...

Declaration of Oegstgeest (2000) the work of the Mercator Network + ‚Language Rich

Europe‘ the work of Guus Extra & Durk Gorter ...

Language

micro macro

variation as a starting point ‚standard forms‘ of language

micro in most extreme form: denial of ‚languages‘

micro translanguaging

macro rejection of ‚languages‘?

the ‚language question‘

interesting < relates to questions of autonomy, heteronomy, Abstand and Ausbau

interesting < dynamic approach to linguistic reality

problematic < translanguaging is also about ‚languages‘

problematic < denial / questionning of ‚language categories‘ vs. political way of seeing things / language policy

relevant < part of daily (mainly urban?) reality

relevance worthwhile to consider in models of (multilingual) education

Towards a combination of ideas on

CLIL/EMILE didactique intégrée plurilingual education

translanguaging as a ‚competence‘ or as a ‚topic‘ ? What about the intergenerational transmission of

translanguaging?

Language use

micro macro

heterogeneity heteroglossia, translanguaging, ...

homogeneity ± stable forms of diglossia, ...

micro heteroglossia

macro challenge (stable) diglossia as policy goal?

Challenge (e.g. related to the public sphere):

how to shift from „one domain + one/two languages“ „one domain + multilingualism“?

Languages involved (next to official language/s) ?

Type of multilingualism ?

How to ‚facilitate‘ multilingualism ?

confronted with a lack of research

if research focus on application of rules (legal approach) rather than on possible positive contributions to knowledge about ‚living diversity‘ (if research on ‚living diversity‘ lack of comparative studies that would allow for generalizations (cf. Blommaert/Rampton 2011)

Language and power

micro macro

language as a means to construct power relations ; agency

language as a secondary symbol (related to status, prestige < institutionalization, legitimization)

language governmentality language policy goals

micro focus on governmentality

macro combine emerging focus on language policy evaluation with governmentality ?

Governmentality (cf. Pennycook 2006)

How do decisions about languages and language forms across a diverse range of institutions (law, education, medicine, printing) and through a diverse range of instruments (books, regulations, exams, articles, corrections) regulate the language use, thought and action of different people, groups and organizations?

away from focus on intentional and centralized strategies of government authorities

focus is on multiplicity of ways in which practices of governance may be realized

synergies of ideas on governmentality + language policy evaluation language policy feedback adaptation / amelioration of language policy based on (best) practices

way of gradually adapting language policy from below (?)

micro discursive negotiation of power relations

macro greater consideration of discursive strategies related to legitimization of ‚multilingualism‘ / ‚linguistic diversity‘

calls for a greater input from political science cf. work of Kenneth D. McRae (1970s-1990s)

outlook

Emergence of ‚ethnography of language policy‘ which, according to Johnson and Ricento (2013: 14), can

illmuninates and inform various types of LPP illuminate and inform language policy

processes examine the link between various LPP players open up ideological spaces for creating

multilingual lnguage policies that promote social justice and sound educational practice

References:

de Swaan, Abram (2007): The language predicament of the EU since the enlargements. In: Sociolinguistica 21, 1-21.

Extra, Guus/ Gorter, Durk (2010): Regional and immigrant minority languages in Europe. In: Hellinger, Marlis/ Pauwels, Anne (Eds.): Handbook of Language and Communication: Diversity and Change. Berlin: de Gruyter, 15-52.

Johnson, David Cassels/ Ricento, Thomas (2013): Conceptual and theoretical perspectives in language planning and policy: situating the ethnography of language policy. In: IJSL 219, 7-21.

McRae, Kenneth D. (1986): Conflict and Compromise in Multilingual Societies: Belgium. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier Press.

Pennycook, Alastair (2006): Postmodernism in Language Policy. In: Ricento, Thomas (Ed.): Language Policy. Theory and Method. Oxford: Blackwell, 60-76.