Current Issues in Language Planning 

About: Current Issues in Language Planning is an academic journal published by Taylor & Francis. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Language policy & Language planning. It has an ISSN identifier of 1466-4208. Over the lifetime, 580 publications have been published receiving 12094 citations.

Rearticulating the Case for Micro Language Planning in a Language Ecology Context

Abstract: Language planning is normally thought of in terms of large-scale, usually national planning, often undertaken by governments and meant to influence, if not change, ways of speaking or literacy practices within a society. It normally encompasses four aspects: status planning (about society), corpus planning (about language), language-in-education (or acquisition) planning (about learning), and (most recently) prestige planning (about image). When thinking about these aspects, both policy (i.e. form) and planning (i.e. function) components need to be considered as well as whether such policy and planning will be overt or covert in terms of the way it is put into action. Language policy and planning on this scale has dominated current work in the field. However, over the past decade language planning has taken on a more critical edge and its ecological context has been given greater emphasis, leading to an increasing acceptance that language planning can (and does) occur at different levels, i.e. the macro, meso and micro. This shift in focus has also led to a rethinking of agency – who has the power to influence change in these micro language policy and planning situations. Given this break with the dominant macro history, the question may be asked, is this developing notion of micro language planning and local agency actually language planning? If so, what are its parameters? Micro language planning studies are examined to illustrate trends in the literature.

Language Planning and Economics

Abstract: This paper proposes a comprehensive overview of the 'economics of language'. This field of research, which is grounded in the discipline of economics, displays a strong interdisciplinary orientation, which places it on the fringes of mainstream economics. It studies the ways in which linguistic and economic processes influence one another. It is also well placed to contribute to the evaluation of public policies regarding language, because it offers analytical tools for the systematic identification and measurement of the advantages and drawbacks of policy alternatives. I begin by discussing the reasons why an economic perspective on language is scientifically and politically relevant; I then review some of the attendant epistemological and methodological issues, before moving on to an overview of the main lines of research in language economics. A full section of this paper is devoted to the economic approach to language policy, and another focuses on an application to education policy, detailing the eco...

Language Planning and Language Ecology

Abstract: In an ecological approach language planning is seen as a process which is part of and closely interrelated with a large range of natural and cultural ecological factors. It is focused on the question of maintaining a maximum diversity of languages by seeking to identify those ecological factors that sustain linguistic diversity. Linguistic diversity in turn is seen as a precondition for maintaining cultural and biological diversity. The ultimate aim of ecological language planning is to bring about an ecological balance which no longer requires management. Ecological language planning differs from most conventional approaches to language planning both in its aims (diversity rather than standardisation) and the means required (community involvement rather than specialist management). This article contains a number of new ideas for language planners as well as suggestions as to how to transform them into practice.

Language Management in the Czech Republic

Abstract: This monograph, based on the Language Management model, provides information on both the simple (discourse-based) and organised modes of attention to language problems in the Czech Republic This includes but is not limited to the language policy of the State This approach does not satisfy itself with discussing problems of language varieties but tries also to attend to issues pertaining to situations, functions, and other aspects of communication While Part I deals with theoretical prerequisites of the study, Part II surveys ethnic communities which are resident in the territory of the Czech Republic, and Part III, the most extensive in the study, provides a description of the current state of the major varieties spoken in the country It is suggested that a weak form of diglossia (Standard vs Common Czech) is one of the major areas of problems within the Czech language Among the other communities the Roma community presents most distinctly interactional as well as narrowly communicative problems Al

Rearticulating the Case for Minority Language Rights

Abstract: While advocacy of minority language rights (MLR) has become well established in sociolinguistics, language policy and planning and the wider human rights literature, it has also come under increased criticism in recent times for a number of key limitations. In this paper, I address directly three current key criticisms of the MLR movement. The first is a perceived tendency towards essentialism in articulations of language rights. The second is the apparent utopianism and artificiality of 'reversing language shift' in the face of wider social and political 'realities'. And the third is that the individual mobility of minority-language speakers is far better served by shifting to a majority language. While acknowledging the perspicacity of some of these arguments, I aim to rearticulate a defence of minority language rights that effectively addresses these key concerns. This requires, however, a sociohistorical/sociopolitical rather than a biological/ecological analysis of MLR. In addition, I will argue that...