7.1 Language planning and policy

Language planning and policy shape how languages function in society. Governments, organizations, and communities use these tools to influence language use, structure, and learning. This can promote or hinder linguistic diversity, impacting minority languages and speakers' rights.

These efforts have far-reaching effects on education, politics, and cultural identity. Successful language policies consider community needs, provide resources, and adapt to changing contexts. Understanding these processes is key to navigating our multilingual world.

Language planning and policy

Definition and key components

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• Language planning refers to the deliberate efforts to influence the function, structure, or acquisition of languages or language varieties within a speech community
• Language policy is the set of rules, regulations, and guidelines used to achieve the goals of language planning
• Corpus planning involves the creation of new forms, modification of old ones, or selection from alternative forms in a written or spoken code, focusing on the language itself (lexicon, grammar, orthography)
• Status planning is concerned with the social functions and uses of language, aiming to modify the environment in which a language is used (official recognition, domains of use)
• Acquisition planning focuses on increasing the number of language users through the spread of language learning and teaching (education policies, language courses)

Impact of language policies

• Language policies can either promote or hinder linguistic diversity, depending on their goals and implementation
• Assimilationist policies aim to reduce linguistic diversity by promoting a dominant language at the expense of minority languages, often leading to language shift and loss (English-only policies in the United States)
• Pluralist policies seek to maintain and promote linguistic diversity by supporting and protecting minority languages, ensuring their survival and vitality (official multilingualism in South Africa)
• Language rights are the legal and moral entitlements of individuals and communities to use, maintain, and develop their languages in various domains of life
• Language policies that do not respect language rights can lead to linguistic discrimination, marginalization, and the violation of human rights (suppression of Kurdish in Turkey)

Government role in language planning

• Governments play a crucial role in language planning and policy through legislation, education policies, and resource allocation
• National language policies often reflect the political, economic, and social priorities of the government in power, which may change over time (Arabization policies in post-colonial Algeria)
• Educational institutions, such as schools and universities, are key sites for the implementation of language policies, particularly in terms of medium of instruction and language curricula (bilingual education programs in Canada)
• International organizations, such as the United Nations and the European Union, can influence language planning and policy through declarations, conventions, and recommendations (European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages)
• Non-governmental organizations and advocacy groups can also play a role in shaping language policies by lobbying governments and raising awareness about language rights issues (Indigenous language revitalization movements)

Evaluating language planning approaches

• The effectiveness of language planning and policy approaches can be assessed based on their outcomes in terms of language use, attitudes, and vitality
• Top-down approaches, where policies are imposed by authorities, may be less effective than bottom-up approaches that involve community participation and ownership (grassroots initiatives for language maintenance)
• Language policies that are not well-designed, adequately resourced, or consistently implemented are less likely to achieve their intended goals (lack of qualified teachers for minority language education)
• The success of language planning and policy initiatives often depends on the socio-political context, as well as the attitudes and motivations of the target population (resistance to language shift in immigrant communities)
• Evaluating the effectiveness of language planning and policy requires a long-term perspective and the use of multiple indicators, such as language proficiency, use in various domains, and intergenerational transmission (census data, sociolinguistic surveys)