Making English local

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 468-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine S. Flowers
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
Local Time ◽  
English Language ◽  
Official Language ◽  
Us History ◽  
English Only ◽  
The People ◽  
The Us ◽  
Local Tradition

Abstract This study examines the role of chronotopes in a municipal campaign to make English the official language. Drawing on theories of scale, localism, and chronotopes in discourse, this article traces how 30 town residents situated the English language in local and US history through talk and gesture. By evoking two contrasting chronotopes as they created and interpreted the language policy, people positioned monolingualism as a local tradition and multilingualism as a new, outside threat. Yet these chronotopes of local time and distant time were also recursive and fluid in two key ways. First, the US could be aligned with or against the local, which allowed English-only advocates to simultaneously criticize the nation and appeal to an idealized US past. Second, some critics of the policy reconfigured the chronotopes in order to posit multilingualism as the more authentic local tradition. These moves allowed the people involved to support, redefine and resist the English-only movement.

scholarly journals Developing a multilingual literary magazine in an English-only policy environment

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
Alex Josef Kasula
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Policy ◽  
Current Literature ◽  
English Language ◽  
The United States ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
English Only ◽  
Literary Magazine ◽  
The Us

The following article discusses the development and outcomes of a multilingual literary magazine, Olowalu Review, within an English-only policy in the United States. First, there is a review of current literature surrounding the ideas of monolingual policies in the US (the context of the article) and current research of the theory of translanguaging for multilinguals and its practice thus far in English language learning classrooms (ELL). The article elaborates on the analysis of translanguaging from Kasula (2016) and how this analysis helps to promote multilingualism. Next, there is a discussion on the achievement of the initial objectives of Olowalu Review, and how this acted as a first potential step in creating a translanguaging space for multilinguals to express themselves and making change towards a more multilingual language policy.

Impacts and implications of English as the corporate official language policy: A case in Japan

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-129
Author(s):  
Saeko Ozawa Ujiie
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
Foreign Market ◽  
Official Language ◽  
English Only ◽  
Common Solution ◽  
Corporate Official ◽  
Multilingual Learning ◽  
Japanese Employees ◽  
Japanese Speaker ◽  
Corporate Language

AbstractIncreasing numbers of corporations are now operating across national borders as a result of globalization. The “language barrier” is the first and foremost challenge they encounter when starting a business in a foreign market, and many companies are trying to solve the problem by adopting a common corporate language. Using English as an official corporate language is the most common solution for those corporations. The present study explored the impacts of English as a corporate official language policy implemented at a company, a rapidly developed high profile IT Company with 20,000 employees, in Japan, a country often perceived to be relatively monolingual and monocultural. When I started studying the company, I first found that the company’s motive to use English as the official corporate language was different from other instances of corporate language policy making I had come across. In previous studies (e.g., Feely & Harzing 2003; Marschan-Piekkari, Welch, & Welch 1999), the companies implemented common corporate language to solve problems caused by language barriers between employees with diverse linguistic backgrounds. However, the company in this study implemented the corporate language policy to prepare for globalization and recruit talents globally. When the company introduced the English-only language policy, most of the employees of the company were Japanese. Therefore, at the time of implementing the language policy, there was no compelling reason for them to use English. The language policy did not work effectively except for a few departments with non-Japanese employees who spoke different first languages. English functioned as a lingua franca in those departments with multinational employees. The findings indicate that for NNESs (non-native English speakers) to communicate with each other in English, the environment has to be more multilingual, less dominated by a single first language. Although almost all Japanese citizens are required to take intensive English courses in compulsory schoolings, the average level of English proficiency is considered to be relatively low in the advanced economies. The present study indicates that it is not for linguistic competence but a lack of interaction with other ELF speakers. Therefore, for learners of ELF in an intensely monolingual society such as Japan to become competent communicators in ELF, providing multilingual learning environments would be more effective than the prevailing teaching practices of classroom learning in L1 Japanese speaker only environments.

scholarly journals THE ENGLISH PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS WITH THE TOPONYMIC COMPONENTS AS SIGNS OF MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL CULTURE

2020 ◽  
pp. 23-29
Author(s):  
Светлана Александровна Калинина
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
English Language ◽  
Cultural Value ◽  
Native Culture ◽  
Spiritual World ◽  
The People ◽  
State Of Mind ◽  
Moral Qualities ◽  
Scientific System

Введение. Раскрывается понятие топонима как маркера географического пространства и роль топонимики в системе наук. Определяется роль топонима, входящего в структуру фразеологической единицы (ФЕ), и культурологическая ценность самого устойчивого оборота с компонентом-топонимом. Обосновывается актуальность исследования, его цель и новизна. Материал и методы. Материалом послужили топонимические фразеологизмы современного английского языка (213 единиц), исследованные посредством методов статистического и лингвокультурологического анализа. Результаты и обсуждение. В топонимических фразеологизмах вербализации подвергаются различные сегменты объективной реальности, репрезентирующие материальный и духовный мир человека. Топонимические фразеологизмы раскрывают отношение человека к окружающей его действительности, отношение к окружающим его людям и к самому себе. Они также анализируют внешние и внутренние стороны человеческой личности, акцентируя внимание на внешнем виде человека, особенностях его голоса, походки, умственного склада ума, на морально-нравственных качествах и характере человека, создавая при этом определенный позитивный или негативный образ. Заключение. Топоним является маркером национальной культуры, поскольку отражает природно-географические особенности страны, историко-культурную специфику этноса, ее населяющего; связан с менталитетом и особенностями характера нации, ее психологией и социально-бытовыми факторами. В английских ФЕ с компонентом-топонимом также находит отражение национально-культурное своеобразие жизни народа. Топонимические фразеологизмы современного английского языка распределяются по двум большим группам: ФЕ, отражающие материальный мир человека, и ФЕ, отражающие духовный мир человека. Фразеологизмы, характеризующие материальный мир человека, можно распределить по десяти подгруппам, большинство из которых соотносятся с бытом человека. Топонимические фразеологизмы, характеризующие духовный мир человека, включают шесть подгрупп, представляющие отношение человека к действительности и людям. Introduction. The concept of a toponym as a marker of the geographical space and the role of toponymy in the scientific system are revealed. The role of the toponym included as a component of the phraseological unit and the cultural value of these idioms are determined. The relevance of the research, its purpose and novelty are substantiated. Material and methods. The research material is the phraseological units of the modern English language with a toponym as a component (213 units). The methods of the study are the statistical method and the method of the linguacultural analysis. Results and discussion. Toponymic phraseological units reflect and verbalize the various segments of the objective reality including the material and spiritual world of a personality. Toponymic phraseological units reveal a person’s attitude to the reality surrounding him/her, a person’s attitude to the people near him/her and the attitude to self. They also analyze the external and internal aspects of the personality, focusing the view on the appearance of a man or woman, on his/her voice, on gait, on mental state of mind, on the moral qualities and the character of a personality. The image of a personality creating by phraseological units can be positive or negative one. Conclusion. Any toponym (especially if it belongs to the “native” culture) has a national identity. It reflects (except the historical, territorial and geographical peculiarities of the nation), the national mentality, character, and specific features of the people’s life. The English phraseological units with a toponym as a component reflect the national identity as well. These idioms are divided into two large groups: 1) those which show the material comforts of the everyday life and 2) those which tell us about the inward habits of the people. Toponymic phraseological units of the second group include six subgroups. Subgroups including the idioms reflecting the people’s attitude to the social reality and to the other people prevail.

scholarly journals Populism in the United States: Binary Constructions by Donald Trump in the Domestic and Foreign Policies

2021 ◽  
Vol VI (III) ◽  
pp. 59-71
Author(s):  
Muhammad Nadeem Mirza ◽  
Lubna Abid Ali ◽  
Irfan Hasnain Qaisrani
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Presidential Elections ◽  
The United States ◽  
Andrew Jackson ◽  
Donald Trump ◽  
White House ◽  
Us History ◽  
The People ◽  
The Us ◽  
Foreign Policies

This study intends to explore the rise of Donald Trump to the White House. Why was Donald Trump considered a populist leader, and how did his populist rhetoric and actions impact the contours of American domestic and foreign policies? The study adopted qualitative exploratory and explanatory research techniques. Specific methods utilised to conduct the study remained political personality profiling. It finds that the populist leaders construct the binaries in the society by dividing the nation into two groups: �us� the people, against �them� the corrupt elite or other groups presented as a threat to the lives and livelihood of the nation. Though populism as a unique brand of politics remained active through most of the US history, yet these were only two occasions that populists were successful in winning the American presidential elections � Andrew Jackson in 1828 and Donald Trump in 2016. Structural and historical reasons became the biggest cause behind the election of Donald Trump, who successfully brought a revolution in American domestic and foreign policies. And if structural issues in the United States are not addressed, there is a clear chance that Trump � who is not withering away � will come back to contest and challenge any competitors in the 2024 presidential elections.

Restoring Official Bilingualism

2020 ◽  
pp. 123-136
Author(s):  
Amílcar Antonio Barreto
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rican ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Fluency ◽  
English Only ◽  
Clear Sign ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Status ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Language Law ◽  
English Language Fluency

While the PPD methodically debated the pros and cons of official unilingualism their PNP rivals, who won the 1992 elections, restored bilingualism within weeks of taking office. The PNP’s rush became apparent when Gov. Pedro Rosselló announced the promotion of a new status plebiscite. As Congress took up the status question in 1993, PNP delegates flashed the new language law as a clear sign of loyalty to the US. That move failed to sway many federal lawmakers who repeatedly brought up the connection between the Spanish language and Puerto Rican identity, along with the low rates of English-language fluency on the island. At this juncture English-language activists from the US mainland began interjecting themselves in the island’s status debates during the English-only movement, reiterating the tight bonds between American-ness and the de facto US vernacular. Although out of office, Commonwealth supporters won the 1993 status plebiscite.

De Nederlandse taal als luxe-waar op de Surinaamse markt?

1979 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 137-154
Author(s):  
Hugo W. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
Intermediate Stage ◽  
European Population ◽  
National Language ◽  
Official Language ◽  
The Status ◽  
Dutch Language ◽  
The Government ◽  
Attitudinal Changes

In the multilingual community of Surinam the official language is Dutch. This language has occupied the official status during almost three centuries of colonial government, the intermediate stage of self-government (as part of the kingdom of the Netherlands from 1954 through 1975) and after complete independence in 1975. Though the status of official language did not change, a different language policy had to be adopted with respect to different role components in each of four historical periods. The language policy adopted in each of these periods can be considered the result of social changes which took place, and of attitudinal changes with respect to the functioning of other languages in the community. The changing role of the Dutch language in the four periods is discussed in terms of its changing socio-linguistic profile. The first change was that from an ethnic group specific position (the European population only) to an obligatory position which concerned the whole population. In each of these two periods Dutch was used in relation to all main functions (communication* education., religion and literature). During the period in which Dutch played the ethnic specific role the language Sranan was used as a promoted language to perform the same functions for the slave population of the 17th, 18th and 19th century. This language was also used as language of communication between the Europeans and the slaves. The social change from a slavery society to a society of citizens only had forced the governement to discourage the use of Sranan and to consider Dutch the only language in the country. This obligatory position was eventually disregarded in favor of a partial role of the Dutch language in a multicultural society. The recognition by the government of a multitude of cultural ambitions has led it to accept the possibility of the sharing of functions among languages. Especially with respect to intergroupcoinmunication and literature, the recognition-of the role of Sranan as national language became the main feature of this period. However, the emergency of Surinam-Dutch, as a variety (xized language) of the Dutch language used by the majority of the Dutch speaking community in Surinam, has given the governement of the new republic of Surinam an opportunity to promote cultural integration by means of this language variety. Though this too will have to share functions with Sranan (inter-group communication, literature, etc.), it is suggested that a stan-dardized version might not only change its promoted language status into that of national official language but also give a better criterion to judge and to stimulate performances in education and literature.

THE ETHNOLINGUISTIC SITUATION IN INDRA MUNICIPALITY IN THE RURAL PART OF KRĀSLAVA REGION

Via Latgalica ◽  
2008 ◽  
pp. 144
Author(s):  
Antra Kļavinska
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Data ◽  
Russian Language ◽  
Official Language ◽  
Rural Municipality ◽  
The People ◽  
Official Languages ◽  
The Church ◽  
Rural Part ◽  
The Russian Language

The research is based on the processed questionnaire data gathered during the ethnolinguistic expedition to Indra municipality in the rural part of the region of Kraslava in June, 2007 (120 respondents). The paper analyzes the answers of the respondents regarding the ethnic self-identification of the people, their knowledge of languages, the dominance of languages,, and their functions in the micro and macro environments of Indra municipality. The most important conclusions are: There is a noticeable difference between the official statistical data and the notions of ethnic belonging of the respondents: the official statistics state that the dominant ethnic group in Indra municipality are Belorussians; however, the major part of respondents consider themselves to be Russians. The Russian language dominates in verbal and written communication in both the micro and the macro environment. Many respondents admit that they speak „their own” language in the municipality - Russian with lexical, morphological and phonetical elements of Belorussian and Polish. The role of the Latgalian language in the rural municipality is not important; the respondents do not see any perspectives for its use in the future. The Latvian language as the official language is respected in the administration of the municipality; however, there is a wish to recognize both Latvian and Russian as official languages. The roles of the school (for the acquisition of the Latvian language) and of the Church (the language of praying is Polish, but masses are held in Russian and Latgalian) are important for the formation of the linguistic scenery of Indra municipality. In the polyethnic and multilingual environment of Indra municipality, there is a predominantly tolerant attitude towards different languages and ethnic groups.

scholarly journals The Role of Pensioners in the American Electorate

Upravlenie ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-103
Author(s):  
Лебедева ◽  
Lyudmila Lebedeva ◽  
Емельянов ◽  
E. Emelyanov
Keyword(s):  
Baby Boomers ◽  
Age Structure ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Presidential Elections ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Us History ◽  
Strong Growth ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Usa

The article examines fundamental demographic changes in the USA that have been shifting the electorate and as a result - American politics; with wide gaps between the generations on key social, economic, political issues. The US presidential elections since 1980 were dominated by baby boomers (born 1946-1964) and prior generations, who have cast the vast majority of votes in every presidential election. The 2016 electorate has been the most diverse in the US history due to strong growth of young generations, and especially among Hispanic eligible voters. Millennials (born 1981–1998) and X generation (born 1965-1980) surpassed Baby Boomers and more old generations whose choices differ significantly in many fields; but the key problem is who really votes. The age structure of the American electorate and its influence on the election results; the role of pensioners and those, who’ll retire in the nearest future, as voters at the federal and state levels are in focus.

scholarly journals Teacher Preparation and Language Policy Appropriation: A Qualitative Investigation of Teach For America Teachers in Arizona

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy J Heineke ◽  
Quanna Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
English Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Professional Preparation ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
English Language Development ◽  
Teach For America ◽  
Specific Content ◽  
English Only ◽  
Identity And Agency

In this qualitative study, we examined teachers’ language policy appropriation in the English-only state of Arizona. Specifically, we investigated teachers who received their professional placement and preparation through the Teach For America organization. We conducted the research in 2010 and 2011, a period when Arizona state language policy required that English learners be placed in English language development classrooms, separated from mainstream classrooms, to receive four hours of daily skill-based language instruction in language-specific content only, including grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, and conversation. Through analysis of interview data from seven current corps members and eight alumni teachers, we investigated whether and how professional preparation shaped teachers’ identity and agency to implement prescriptive linguistic and instructional mandates in the classroom. 

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