Languages In the World (28 page)

In 2012, the
Real Academia Española
announced that it would add the word
espanglish
‘Spanglish' to the 2014 edition of their official dictionary, which is considered the most prestigious in the Spanish-speaking world. The decision was met with controversy, even among some of the most fervent supporters of the Academy. Why do you suppose the decision was a controversial one for those who believe in the authority of language academies?

Have you encountered the notion of “the Queen's English” in your own life? In what contexts? How does the Harrington study about the Queen's pronunciations challenge the trope of the Queen's English?

Although there is no language academy for the English language as such, speakers sometimes take it upon themselves to regulate the speech of others. That is, prescriptive ideas about ‘good' and ‘bad' English nevertheless abound. Where do those ideas come from? How do they circulate? What are their effects?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of adopting the language of a previous colonial power in postcolonial context? Think about this in the context of individuals, groups, and institutions, as well as the nation in general.

What was the role of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Indira Gandhi in setting language policy in India? What were the advantages and disadvantages of their policy interventions?

What kinds of social, political, economic, and ideological factors influence policy decisions about language in education? Think critically about the language of instruction in the place where you received your primary education. How did the selection of this language benefit or harm you? How did the selection of this language benefit or harm others in your school with different linguistic backgrounds? What changes would you make to the language and education policy in your community?

India's Three Language Policy has not been implemented in the way in which it was envisioned by its authors. What does this say about the workings of power in public policy and educational policy as they pertain to language?

When multilingualism is so prized in many parts of the world, what factors have supported the steadfast monolingualism of most schools in the United States, despite the undeniably multilingual population? That is, how do you think English monolingualism has come to be seen as superior to multilingualism in many educational contexts in the United States?

Why do you suppose the Oakland School Board decision to use a nonstandard dialect of English as a medium of instruction for teaching the standard variety was met with so much misunderstanding and controversy? What does the controversy say about the way language is understood by the public in the United States? How can sound language policy decisions be made in educational contexts when publics are so frequently misinformed about basic language issues?

What effect do you think the teaching of Mongolian Script will have in Mongolia? Will it be effective in engendering national identity?

The linguistic situation in Latvia and Estonia involving Russian makes visible the tension between the right for all speakers to speak their native language and the need for small languages, often spoken in small states, to preserve their linguistic heritage. How can the state strike a balance between these competing interests? What other tensions are at play here – for speakers of Estonian and for Russian speakers living within Estonia?