scholarly journals Multilingualism and Local Literacy Practices in Ethiopia: Language contact in regulated and unregulated spaces

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Lanza ◽  
Hirut Woldemariam
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Global South ◽  
Linguistic Landscape ◽  
Literacy Studies ◽  
Contact Patterns

The study of the linguistic landscape has provided a new dimension to theories andissues related to multilingualism, including language policy. In this growing field ofinquiry, however, not enough attention has been given to the linguistic landscape insites in the Global South. Since one of the aims of literacy studies is to reveal the varietyand social patternings of practices, there is a need to compare linguistic landscape datawith other various textual materials. In this article, we present linguistic landscape datafrom two federal regional capitals in Ethiopia that demonstrate multilingual languageuse. We also compare the linguistic contact patterns with those found in schoolbooksused in the same region. Such a comparison involves language use in unregulatedas well as in regulated spaces (see Sebba 2009). Regional ethnically based languagesare now being used in new arenas, including the linguistic landscape and educationbecause of a new language policy promoting the use and development of regionallanguages. The two regional capitals provide privileged sites for examining theproducts of local literacy practices, involving values, attitudes, ideologies, and socialrelationships. We discuss the results in light of various ideologies and argue for thespeaker-writer’s active mobilisation of multilingual resources in new language arenas.

Linguistic Landscape of Ethiopia

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Lanza ◽  
Hirut Woldemariam
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Language Policy ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Linguistic Landscape ◽  
Late 20Th Century ◽  
The Public ◽  
Latin Script ◽  
Growing Economy ◽  
The Public Sphere

The linguistic landscape (henceforth LL) has proven to be a fruitful approach for investigating various societal dimensions of written language use in the public sphere. First introduced in the context of bilingual Canada as a gauge for measuring ethnolinguistic vitality, in the 21st century it is the focus of a thriving field of inquiry with its own conference series, an increasing number of publications, and an international journal dedicated exclusively to investigating language and other semiotic resources used in the public arena. The scholarship in this domain has centered on European and North American geographical sites; however, an increasingly voluminous share of studies addresses the LL of sites across the world through both books and articles. African contributions have added an important dimension to this knowledge base as southern multilingualisms bring into question the very concept of language in that speakers and writers draw on their rich linguistic repertoires, avoiding any compartmentalization or separation of what is traditionally conceived of as languages. The LL of Ethiopia has contributed to this growing base of empirical studies in the exploration of language policy issues, identity constructions, language contact, and the sociolinguistics of globalization. A new language policy of ethnic federalism was introduced to the country in the 1990s following a civil war and through a new constitution. This policy was set to recognize the various ethnolinguistic groups in the country and the official use of ethnic/regional languages to satisfy local political and educational needs. Through this, languages previously unwritten required a script in order for speakers to communicate in them in written texts. And many regions have chosen the Latin script above the Ethiopic script. Nonetheless, some languages remain invisible in the public sphere. These events create an exciting laboratory for studying the LL. Given the change of language policy since the late 20th century and the fast-growing economy of Ethiopia (one of the poorest countries on the continent) the manifest and increasingly visible display of languages in the LL provides an excellent lens for studying various sociolinguistic phenomena.

scholarly journals Language contact, agency and power in the linguistic landscape of two regional capitals of Ethiopia

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (228) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hirut Woldemariam ◽  
Elizabeth Lanza
Keyword(s):  
Language Contact ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Linguistic Landscape ◽  
Language Rights ◽  
New Literacy ◽  
Semitic Language ◽  
History Of ◽  
Regional Languages

AbstractThe issue of language contact in the linguistic landscape has been rarely addressed, especially in regards to issues of agency and power in this domain of multilingual practices. The linguistic landscape provides an arena for investigating agency as related to literacy, language rights and identity. In this article, we explore the linguistic landscape of two different regions in Ethiopia to provide an analysis of language contact that takes place between regional languages, which only recently have made the transition to literacy in the country as the result of a new language policy, and Amharic, the federal working language, which has a long and established history of literacy. The study is based on data collected through field work and participant observation from two federal regions in the country – Tigray and Oromia – two regions that have fought for the recognition of language rights, for Tigrinya and Oromo, the former a Semitic language like Amharic and the latter a Cushitic language. Results indicate ways in which speakers of the regional languages draw on their multilingual resources to create a new arena for language use and thereby assert their agency in developing new literacy practices.

Examining language policy and practices on the ground: German and French in the public space of two Walloon municipalities with language facilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-102
Author(s):  
Raúl Sánchez Prieto
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Linguistic Landscape ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
The Public ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Language Legislation ◽  
Different Types

Abstract Building on previous research on the new subfield of Linguistic Landscape (LL), this article adopts a comparative approach to study language policy practices that take place on the ground in East Belgium, a language contact area which is not usually considered conflictive. The research design is both qualitative and quantitative and aimed at overcoming some critical methodological issues. The taxonomy, which distinguishes different types of items in the LL of two municipalities with language facilities, Kelmis and Waimes, has led to a detailed qualitative analysis of the application of the current language legislation.

scholarly journals Multilingualism in Prizren, Language Use and Language Policy

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Jasmin Jusufi
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
General Public ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Linguistic Landscape ◽  
Minority Communities ◽  
Language Legislation ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Multilingual Societies

This research focuses on theoretical and practical issues of multilingualism in Prizren, the Republic of Kosovo’s most linguistically diverse city. It examines the city’s linguistic landscape, culture, and values, investigating language use at home, in public, and in institutions. It analyzes language legislation and its often uneven implementation. In the last 20 years the language situation in Prizren has changed dramatically. This research attempts to provide a clear picture of the current language situation of Prizren in the new and independent Republic of Kosovo, and is relevant for the general public, minority communities, government, non government and international organizations. The research was conducted in order to shed more light on the concept of multilingual societies. The central sources for this research are the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, the policy on language rights and language use in the country, questionnaires, and observation.

Martin Pütz (ed.), Language choices: Conditions, constraints, and consequences. (Impact: Studies in language and society, 1.) Amsterdam & Philadelphia: Benjamins, 1997. Pp. ix, 427. Hb $127.00.

2000 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-131
Author(s):  
Thomas Ricento
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Language Planning ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Language Choices ◽  
Conflict Situations ◽  
The University ◽  
Language Conflict

This is a collection of 21 essays from the 20th International L.A.U.D. (Linguistic Agency University of Duisburg) Symposium, held from Feb. 28 to March 3, 1995, at the University of Duisburg, Germany. In the words of the editor of the collection, the authors “explore the relations between social, psychological and (socio)linguistic aspects of language contact and language conflict situations both from a theoretical and an applied linguistics perspective” (x). The volume is divided into four sections: “Sociolinguistic and linguistic issues,” “Language policy and language planning,” “Language use and attitudes towards language(s),” and “Code-switching: One speaker, two languages.” Rather than discuss all 21 articles, I will focus on several whose themes are relevant to a number of areas of sociolinguistics.

Language Policy and Planning and Linguistic Landscapes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis M. Hult
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Landscape Analysis ◽  
Discursive Construction ◽  
Linguistic Landscape ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
The Public ◽  
Distinct Sense ◽  
Policy And Planning

Linguistic landscape analysis is the study of visual language use in public space. Its fundamental premise is that the ways in which languages are visually used (or not used) contribute to the discursive construction of a distinct sense of place. Linguistic landscape analysis is related to language policy in two key ways, one indirect and one direct. Indirectly, all language policies entextualize language ideologies; analyzing the visual representation of the linguistic order in the public space of a community provides insight into how values present in policies may or may not be iterated in everyday experiences. Directly, some polities regulate what languages may be used in public spaces, as well as how they may be used. Language policy researchers investigate such regulations and how they may or may not relate to the actual practice of language use on signs in specific communities. This chapter reviews work that has taken indirect and direct orientations to studying language policy and linguistic landscapes. Suggestions for future directions for both are provided.

Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian: Inherent Translanguaging in the Linguistic Landscape of Sarajevo

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Tankosić ◽  
Jason Litzenberg
Keyword(s):  
Identity Politics ◽  
Common Core ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Primary Language ◽  
Linguistic Landscape ◽  
Southeastern Europe ◽  
Linguistic Identity ◽  
Language Varieties ◽  
Balkan Region ◽  
Town Center

Abstract Language in the Balkan region of Southeastern Europe has a complex and turbulent history, acutely embodied in the tripartite and trilingual state of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in which Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs all make claim to their own mutually-intelligible varieties of local “languages”. This study utilizes a linguistic landscape methodology to consider language use in Sarajevo, the capital of BiH, approximately 20 years after a brutal war that led to the establishment of the country. Data originate from three municipalities within the Sarajevo Canton – namely, Old Town, Center, and Ilidža – because of their representation of the region’s diversity and history. Signs were classified according to the three primary language varieties, i.e., Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian; BCS, representing a common core among the three varieties, as well as English, other languages, and mixed languages. The application of BCS uniquely positions the present research in comparison to other studies of language use in the region and allows for a more nuanced, less politically and ethnolinguistically fraught analysis of the communicative tendencies of users. More specifically, data indicate that actors in the linguistic landscape transcend the boundaries of their national, ethnic, and religious identities by tending towards the more neutral BCS, suggesting an orientation towards more translingual dispositions than previous variety-bound approaches have indicated. Thus, instead of the divisiveness of linguistic identity politics, the linguistic landscape of Sarajevo indicates a tendency toward inclusion and linguistic egalitarianism.

The (im)materiality of literacy in early childhood: A socio-material approach to online and offline events

2021 ◽  
pp. 1476718X2098385
Author(s):  
Alejandra Pacheco-Costa ◽  
Fernando Guzmán-Simón
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Literacy Development ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Literacy Studies ◽  
Hybrid Nature ◽  
Ethnographic Approach ◽  
The Way

Among the recent approaches to literacy incorporated into Literacy Studies, the concept of (im)materiality has enabled researchers to delve into the fluid and hybrid nature of contemporary literacy practices in early childhood. Our research explores the (im)materiality of literacy practices from the perspectives of space, screen mediation, artefacts and embodiment. The research focuses on the (im)material nature of the literacy practices carried out in different spaces, and its relevance in the making of meaning by children. The research method is based on an ethnographic approach. The results show the children’s embodiment of their literacy practices, and the way in which they create and interact with space and make meaning from their (im)material practices. These practices raise questions about their inclusion in current literacy development in schools.

scholarly journals La dimension pragmatico-discursive du français en contact

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Drescher
Keyword(s):  
Language Contact ◽  
African Country ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Linguistic Landscape ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Local Contact ◽  
Medical Issues ◽  
Mitigation Technique

The aim of this paper is two-fold : First it argues for a stronger consideration of the pragmatic and discourse level in research on language contact. Secondly it contributes to the pragmatics of a specific regional variety of French, namely Cameroonian French. Starting with a picture of the complex linguistic landscape of this multilingual African country, the paper stresses the importance of the pragmatic and discourse level by raising some of the crucial theoretical and methodological issues that a broader, usage-based view on language contact has to cope with. First it suggests that pragmatic and discourse conventions may be influenced by the local contact languages and secondly it emphasizes that they may not be specific to a language, but be shared by a much larger and encompassing community of discourse. A case study of Cameroonian radio phone-ins where callers seek advice on medical issues points out some of these conventions. Here the participants establish a specific participation framework that avoids direct interaction between caller and expert while the host is set in as a mediator. This global mitigation technique then allows for quite direct realisations of the advice at a local level.

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