“What Language Do We Speak?” The Bayash in the Balkans and Mother Tongue Education

Francis of Education (print)/1474-8479 (online) Article 2010 Language in education debates in Hong Kong focus on the role and status of English (as the former colonial language and an important means for international communication); Cantonese, the mother tongue of the majority of the population; and Putonghua, the national language of China. This paper examines the language policy formulated in 1997–1998, and finds that it radically departed from previous policies by mandating the use of Cantonese as the medium of instruction in secondary schools. The paper then analyses two subsequent policy revisions and concludes that, while the tonal emphasis on mother-tongue education has remained, the policy revisions have reversed the language policy to previous practices that emphasised the importance of English.

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Czech language and the traditional culture in the multiethnic environment (results of the field research of 2019 in Serbia, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Slavic Almanac ◽

10.31168/2073-5731.2021.1-2.3.02 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 310-328

Author(s):

Sergej A. Borisov

Keyword(s):

Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Mother Tongue ◽

Field Research ◽

Folk Culture ◽

Language And Culture ◽

The Balkans ◽

Language Data ◽

First Results ◽

History Of

The article provides an overview of a field study conducted among Czechs in Serbia, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2019. The first results are presented, samples of transcribed texts are given. The purpose of the expedition was to collect narratives for the proper linguistic study of contact elements, conversations were conducted, among other things, about the history of the resettlement of Czechs to the Balkans, about folk culture, and interaction with other Slavic and non-Slavic ethnic groups. In the three regions studied, the Czech language remains unevenly due to a number of linguistic and extralinguistic factors. There are very few Czechs left in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Czech is the mother tongue only for elder people living in rural areas. In Serbia, there are several schools where Czech language and culture are taught, and in Romania there are schools where in the primary grades all subjects are taught in Czech. The collected language data is a valuable source for studying local Czech dialects and contact phenomena (borrowings, code-switching). The metalinguistic comments used by informants when they have difficulties in their Czech language during a conversation with a researcher are of particular interest to sociolinguistics.

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THE RIGHT TO MOTHER-TONGUE EDUCATION: PRACTICABLE OR NOT?

Obiter ◽

10.17159/obiter.v34i2.12038 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Chrizell Chürr

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

Basic Education ◽

Mother Tongue ◽

Cumulative Effect ◽

The South ◽

National Education ◽

Mother Tongue Education ◽

South African Constitution ◽

The Right ◽

South African Schools Act

Mother-tongue and mother-tongue education are recognized worldwide as one of the most efficient ways to function cognitively and socially. This article addresses the role of proper mother-tongue education with an emphasis on the importance of “language” since language is vital to a child’s right to a basic education in all its dimensions. Without mother-tongue education, every child’s right to learn and to become a skilful adult, able to participate independently in society, is at risk. The cumulative effect of the South African Constitution, the National Education Policy Act, the South African Schools Act, several international instruments and a number of ground-breaking cases, as well as the interaction between them on mother-tongue education will be examined. The implementation of certain education models will also be proposed.

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