Language Problems and Language Planning - Volume 37, Issue 3, 2013

As the use of languages is playing a more and more important role in economic activities with the globalization of the world economy, there is growing interest in the relationship between language and economic theory. The rapidly expanding literature in this field, however, is highly fragmented. It is difficult to tell what this field of study focuses on, what has actually been investigated, and what remains to be studied. The authors attempt to review, assess and categorize the major orientations of the research on the economics of language. Those include a traditional strand of research that has focused on language and economic status, the dynamic development of languages, and language policy and planning, as well as a relatively new strand based on game theory and pragmatics. The authors propose the use of the term “Language and Economics” to define this area of research.

With potential applications for other minority languages, this paper discusses the implications of interpreting to and from Galician, starting with an overview of the current sociolinguistic situation, and the interpreting and translation market in Galicia in the light of political changes. After highlighting the similarities and differences between written translation and oral interpretation, the article examines the role played specifically by interpretation as a prestige-raising activity within the framework of language planning. Finally, the paper also discusses interpreting using minority languages as a tool enabling citizens to exercise their linguistic rights to the full.

Since the 1990s, language-planning interventions have changed the alphabet on car number-plates in Cyprus three times, while a fourth change is expected to take place in line with the parliamentary decision of 2010. An investigation of the alternating adoption of the 24-letter English (Latin) and the 12-letter Helleno-Latin alphabetical system demonstrates that a minor matter, such as the alphabet on the plates, can be a multilevel language planning issue. It was initiated at the micro-level by individuals and small groups who exercised pressure on the government to change this language practice, but through interventions by government officials and politicians it snowballed to the macro-level. Examination of the issue reveals the pragmatic and symbolic roles attributed to the alphabetical systems as well as the beliefs, perceptions and ideologies about language and identity in Cyprus held among Greek-Cypriots who were involved in the controversy.

The first section of this overview starts by briefly sketching the state of the school education system in India. We then note that English-medium private schools are often not much better than government schools (whether English-medium or not). The second section argues that English-medium education in India must be seen in the larger context of a mother-tongue-medium education. English-medium-only education in India gives poor educational results, and it increases social inequalities. The way forward lies in a mother-tongue-based multilingual education that includes English.