Language Problems and Language Planning - Volume 34, Issue 3, 2010

English has spread so widely around the world that its native speakers are now outnumbered by its non-native speakers. Recent publications have shown that the dominance of English has led to severe disadvantages for non-Anglophones. Several options of language policy have been presented to find fair and democratic approaches to international communication. Their scope includes different variants of multilingualism, the limitation of the number of languages used in international communication, restriction to receptive skills, the introduction of a system of compensation, initiatives to revive an ancient language (e.g. Latin), and the use of an artificial language. The model English as a Lingua Franca, the idea that the English spoken by non-native speakers is a variety in its own right whose norms are established by its users instead of native speakers, is among these proposals. The paper discusses the extent to which this approach seems to be feasible. Despite its appeal among learners and speakers of English as a foreign language, a number of factors seem to hamper its chances of realization. These factors involve a complexity of issues, such as traditions in foreign language learning and teaching, the heterogeneity of lingua franca communication and psychological reservations.

Personal names are variable. Individuals may refer to themselves and be referred to in different ways depending on the social situation. In multilingual and multicultural settings, potential variation in personal names is even more challenging. It arises from cultural contrasts in naming conventions and from structural contrasts between languages. The range of name variations poses real challenges for the information systems that are central to social life, because identifying individuals uniquely is essential to their functioning. Consistent and appropriate representation of a particular name in a data store improves the likelihood that that person’s medical records or banking records or job application can be found at a later date. However, ensuring the consistent representation of a name is not entirely under an individual’s control because he or she may not be the one to enter the name into the database and the database may not be designed in a way that permits the name to be represented appropriately. Database management is especially challenging in settings that are culturally diverse. The consistent handling of names requires their appropriate cultural interpretation.

Bilingual policy in Singapore has been characterized by dynamic government interventions since the nation’s independence in 1965. The elevation of English to the medium of instruction in education has inevitably come into conflict with Chinese, the lingua franca of Singapore’s dominant ethnic group. Drawing upon a theoretical perspective of prestige language planning, we show that the Chinese language has gradually lost prestige in Singaporean society in general, and in particular it has lost ground to English in terms of linguistic capital. A succinct re-examination of Singapore’s language-in-education planning shows that education alone cannot arrest the declining status of the Chinese language, neither does any image-fostering. The study highlights the importance of prestige promotion for the future success of Chinese language maintenance. The rapid rise of China provides an enabling environment for prestige manipulation. However, the socio-political goals of the Singaporean bilingual policy restrain the government’s willingness to support the unrestricted growth of Mandarin in the official discourse. While it is not possible in this paper to provide solutions or to suggest specific directions for solving this problem, it is our hope that the analysis of the complex interplay of the official discourse on language issues and the surrounding socio-political variables can shed some fresh light on understanding the intricacies and difficulties of a bilingual policy in a multicultural society.

Lakshmiswar Sinha (1905–1977) was a major figure both as a builder of modern India, who focused on correcting the over-intellectualizing bias of education in a manual direction, and as the first Indian Esperantist who worked to connect India and the worldwide Esperanto-speaking community. He is remembered far more articulately in the Esperanto community than in the context of India’s journey to modernity. Arguably his vision of development and education was ahead of his times. Contemporary thinking, focused on ergonomic efficiency and localism, makes it appropriate to argue for a recontextualization of his well-documented trajectory.