Language Use and Sustainable Development: Opportunities and Challenges for Policy-Makers and Educators in Northeast Vietnamese Areas

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-130
Author(s):  
Ha Ngan Ngo ◽  
Maya Khemlani David
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Language Shift ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
The Status ◽  
Wedding Songs

Vietnam represents a country with 54 ethnic groups; however, the majority (88%) of the population are of Vietnamese heritage. Some of the other ethnic groups such as Tay, Thai, Muong, Hoa, Khmer, and Nung have a population of around 1 million each, while the Brau, Roman, and Odu consist only of a hundred people each. Living in northern Vietnam, close to the Chinese border (see Figure 1), the Tay people speak a language of the    Central    Tai language group called Though, T'o, Tai Tho, Ngan, Phen, Thu Lao, or Pa Di. Tay remains one of 10 ethnic languages used by 1 million speakers (Buoi, 2003). The Tày ethnic group has a rich culture of wedding songs, poems, dance, and music and celebrate various festivals. Wet rice cultivation, canal digging and grain threshing on wooden racks are part of the Tày traditions. Their villages situated near the foothills often bear the names of nearby mountains, rivers, or fields. This study discusses the status and role of the Tày language in Northeast Vietnam. It discusses factors, which have affected the habitual use of the Tay language, the connection between language shift and development and provides a model for the sustainability and promotion of minority languages. It remains fundamentally imperative to strengthen and to foster positive attitudes of the community towards the Tày language. Tày’s young people must be enlightened to the reality their Tày non-usage could render their mother tongue defunct, which means their history stands to be lost.

scholarly journals Contrastive Pragmatics: Apologies & Thanks in English and Italian

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Cuneyt Demir ◽  
Mehmet Takkac
Keyword(s):  
Social Action ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
American English ◽  
The Status ◽  
Language Competency ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
Remedial Strategies

<p>Awareness of language or language competency has greatly changed from the focus of language itself as form and structure to language use as pragmatics. Accordingly, it is widely accepted that different cultures structure discourse in different ways. Moreover, studies have shown that this holds for discourse genres traditionally considered as highly standardized in their rituals and formulas. Taking inspiration from such studies, this paper employs a corpus-based approach to examine variations of the apology and thanking strategies used in English and Italian. First the apology itself as a form of social action is closely analyzed and then thanking. This study also pays special attention on analyzing and contrasting apology and thanking strategies in American English and in Italian in terms of Marion Owen’s remedial strategies (Owen, 1983), and Olshtain &amp; Cohen’s semantic formulas in the apology speech act set (Olshtain &amp; Cohen, 1983). The purpose of the study is not only to compare apology and thanking speech acts but to also learn their contextual use. The findings suggest that the status and role of the situation affect the speakers’ choice of apology and thanking strategies, and semantic formulas are of great importance.</p>

Pre-school numeracy play as a predictor of children’s attitudes towards mathematics at age 10

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aidan Clerkin ◽  
Katie Gilligan
Keyword(s):  
Building Blocks ◽  
Early Numeracy ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Mathematical Performance ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Lower Socioeconomic ◽  
Attitudes Towards Mathematics ◽  
Mathematics And Science

Numeracy activities in early childhood have been linked to children’s mathematical performance in subsequent years. However, few studies have examined associations between early numeracy play and children’s subsequent attitudes towards mathematics. This study draws on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 assessment to provide a retrospective snapshot of pre-school numeracy play reported by the parents of 10-year-old children (N = 4560). Most children were found to have engaged frequently in some form of early numeracy activity. However, children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds had less regular engagement with numeracy play, while spatial play (e.g. building blocks) was less common among girls. The extent to which children engaged in pre-school numeracy play was significantly associated with greater confidence and (for children from higher socioeconomic backgrounds) liking of mathematics at age 10, controlling for other factors. The results highlight socioeconomic and gendered differences in children’s early activities about which policy-makers, educators and parents should be aware. They also suggest the potential role of numeracy play in fostering positive attitudes towards mathematics, which should be considered amid efforts to increase participation in science, technology, engineering and maths domains.

Endangered minority and regional languages (‘dialects’) in Italy

Modern Italy ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Coluzzi
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Language Shift ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Expert Group ◽  
Language Varieties ◽  
The Past ◽  
Regional Languages ◽  
Italian Dialects ◽  
Local Languages

The Italian linguistic situation is characterised by a remarkable number of language varieties, although the development of Italian in the past 150 years has been the cause of a language shift from local languages to Italian. The degree of endangerment suffered by so-called ‘Italian dialects’ is shown using the Major Evaluative Factors of Language Vitality drawn up by a UNESCO ad hoc expert group in 2003, and the data offered by the 2006 ISTAT survey on language use. The debate in Italy on the vitality of ‘dialects’ and their future has done little to activate mechanisms and strategies to reverse the worrying language shift that both minority languages and ‘dialects’ are undergoing.

scholarly journals Languages and language varieties: Comparative research on the linguistic attitudes in four bilingual minority communities in Hungary

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-56
Author(s):  
Anna Borbely
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Research ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Language Shift ◽  
Minority Language ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Advanced Stage ◽  
Minority Communities ◽  
Significant Information ◽  
Language Varieties ◽  
Positive Attitudes

A central issue of this paper is to study the patterns invariation of attitudes toward minority language varieties in four minority communities from Hungary: German, Slovak, Serb and Romanian. This study takes part from the research which focuses on how to obtain significant information about the mechanism of the language shift process concerning autochthonous minorities in Hungary. The results demonstrate that in the course of language shift communities at an advanced stage of language shift have less positive attitudes toward their minority languages than individuals from communities where language shift is in a less advanced stage. In Hungarian minority groups speakers’ attitudes toward minority language varieties (dialect vs. standard) are the symptoms of language shift.

scholarly journals Role of Manufacturing Industries in Nepalese Economy

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-45
Author(s):  
Meera Gautam
Keyword(s):  
Survey Analysis ◽  
Growth Trend ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Manufacturing Enterprises ◽  
Active Population ◽  
Straight Line ◽  
The Status ◽  
Market Opportunities ◽  
And Gender

Nepal is an agriculture country major labor force is employed, and contributes nearly thirty percent of GDP. Countries have adopted the policy of industrialization and create jobs for the economic active population. This paper discusses and tries to identify the role played by the manufacturing enterprises. Basically share in GDP, employment, value addition and gender participation. A simple average, straight line growth trend and percentiles are used for the role measurement. The source of data is mainly censuses on manufacturing enterprises conducted in Nepal since first one from1991 to last one in 2012 and Economic Survey. Analysis of the data indicates that the total number of operating establishments is declining, in the same way the total number of employees is also declining. The highest percentages of female workers are engaged as operative workers in all the CMEs. It is realized that whatever the status measured may help to the policy makers or researchers to correlate and analyze further. It is recommended the need of further information is needed on market opportunities and challenges in the past and present, investment and export potential and bottlenecks. This would be useful to entrepreneurs and policy makers alike.

A Chinese Australian family’s language use and attitudes

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-66
Author(s):  
Bo Hu
Keyword(s):  
Family Communication ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Language Shift ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Family Language

Abstract This paper presents a qualitative case study of a Chinese Australian family’s multilingual experiences in Melbourne. Couched in the framework of family language policy, I examine language shift patterns and mother tongue attitudes and analyse reasons and consequences. The findings show that the first generation uses Mandarin for general family communication, while relegating regional Chinese to functions that are, typically, private and familial and for use with older generations. The second generation uses English the most. While their Mandarin use is enhanced through community-based schooling and can be activated depending on the communicative environment, regional Chinese does not play an active role. This nested, hierarchical ecology of language shift with two dominant language constellations causes parental confusion about the children’s mother tongue and problematises grandparent-grandchild communication with a possible decrease of family intimacy.

Sources of variation in attitudes toward minority, majority and foreign language

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 170-199
Author(s):  
Sabina Halupka-Rešetar ◽  
Eleonóra Kovács Rácz
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Attitudes ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Multilingual Education ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Majority Population ◽  
Autonomous Province

Abstract Vojvodina, an autonomous province in northern Serbia, is a historically multilingual and multicultural area where multilingual education forms a cornerstone of linguistic, educational and social policy and practice: in addition to the majority language, five minority languages are also in official use and speakers of these languages may receive education in their L1. However, such a situation does not warrant positive attitudes toward the majority language. In fact, attitudes toward the majority population have been shown to be less positive among minority group members who receive their education in their L1 (Veres 2013). In addition to this, the effect of environment (compact vs. diffuse) has been shown to interact with attitudes. The paper examines the language attitudes of 423 Hungarian L1 grammar school pupils towards (1) their (minority) mother tongue (Hungarian), (2) Serbian as the majority language and (3) English as a foreign language, based on their value judgements and taking into account numerous variables which might prove to interact with their attitudes. The results of the research are expected to add to the study of language attitudes in a multilingual context, to help us understand better language situations in areas where bilingualism is promoted and to aid the implementation of coherent language policies.

English in Namibia: Multilingualism and Ethnic Variation in the Extra- and Intra-territorial Forces Model

2020 ◽  
pp. 38-62
Author(s):  
Anne Schröder ◽  
Frederic Zähres
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Ethnic Variation ◽  
Linguistic Identity ◽  
Identity Constructions ◽  
Close Analysis ◽  
The Status ◽  
Historical Relationship

This chapter presents a close analysis of the Namibian linguistic ecology and the role of Namibian English (NamE) in the multilingual make-up of the country. This includes the discussion of the status of English in comparison to Afrikaans, the country’s primary lingua franca, and to minority languages, such as German, as well as majority languages, such as Oshiwambo. Taking up and elaborating on observations on Namibian-specific phonetic realizations of vowels, identifying linguistic identity constructions, ethnolinguistic variation and discussing in detail the (historical) relationship between South Africa (as an epicentre) and Namibia, it shows that NamE cannot be seen as a monolithic whole but should rather be considered a bundle of local sub-varieties. The chapter further discusses the applicability of the EIF Model to the Namibian case and makes some suggestions on how to include additional extra-territorial forces, discussions of heterogeneity, norm development as well as a different approach to developmental stages in model making.

scholarly journals How much does parental language behaviour reflect their language beliefs in language maintenance?

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanjiang Yu
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Language Maintenance ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
First Language ◽  
Language Shift ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Know How ◽  
Migrant Families

It has been widely accepted that parental language beliefs play a crucial role in language maintenance. Studies show that Chinese immigrants are not exempted from language shift although they are frequently reported cherishing their language as an important part of their culture. This paper attempts to find out how parental language beliefs reflect their daily language behaviour. Eight recent Chinese migrant families had 60 minutes of conversation recorded each month for one calendar year. Their language use has been analyzed and compared with the information gathered from a home language use questionnaire. Results show that there is a substantial gap between parental language beliefs and their actual language behaviour. Although the parents state they strongly support mother tongue maintenance, within 28 months, the use of mother tongue had dropped significantly and there is very little evidence showing much effort from the parents to prevent this from happening. This could be either because they want their children to keep their first language but do not know how to do this, or, their language beliefs are different from their behaviour. This should raise methodological issues regarding how to interpret parental language beliefs properly in the research area.

scholarly journals The role of suppressive language policies in language shift and language loss

1989 ◽  
pp. 123-135
Author(s):  
Eduardo Hernández Chávez
Keyword(s):  
Language Shift ◽  
The United States ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Language Loss ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
The Status ◽  
Linguistic Human Rights ◽  
Political Conditions

The Skutnabb-Kangas and Phillipson analysis of linguistic human rights is used as a basis for understanding language replacement phenomena in the United States. Use of Spanish in Chicano communities is shifting rapidly to English despite the huge numbers of recent immigrants who are dominant in Spanish. Accompanying this shift is a precipitous loss of proficiency by Spanish speakers. Such replacement of a language does not depend on personal choices made by speakers, but on the socio-political conditions within the country. Political goals of profits, exploitation, and hegemony drive classist, racist and ethnicist policies whose purpose is to neutralize resistance to the status quo. These are couched in liberal-sounding myths that justify linguicism, which strives to suppress minority cultures and to acculturate their members in order to pacify perceived ethnic group conflict. The Skutnabb-Kangas and Phillipson Linguicism Continuumn is used to demonstrate the degree of linguistic repression in selected U.S. institutions.

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