Language Problems and Language Planning - Volume 45, Issue 1, 2021

Abstract

This study investigates bilingual students’ attitudes toward the Tibetan language, examining the structural models of the attitudes of Tibetan students and the differences in attitudes between living communities and as moderated by learning years (comparing Tibet-based and Han-based communities). The participants were 1,118 Tibetan students in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China. The results indicated the following: (i) the data supported the three components of attitude (Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral) in terms of bilingual students’ perception of the Tibetan language; (ii) the five lower-level domains of the attitudes toward the Tibetan language can be grouped into two categories – Cognitive (self-concept of the Tibetan language and social status) and Affective (friendliness, helpfulness, and identification) – and there is a causal relationship between them; and (iii) there are significant differences in attitudes toward the Tibetan language dependent on living community and learning year. Practical suggestions for educators in schools for bilingual students learning the Tibetan language are discussed.

Abstract

The case of Catalonia has often been pointed out as a case of success in the field of language policy, based on the improvement in its legal situation, the increase in the number of people who know it, and the extension of its use in certain fields. To contribute to a complete evaluation of the current language policy model in Catalonia, this article assesses the evolution of the first languages of the population over the last fifteen years. The study shows that during this period, despite some oscillations, Catalan has remained in stable numbers of L1 speakers in absolute terms, thanks essentially to very strong patterns of intergenerational transmission in both linguistically homogeneous and mixed couples. However, significant immigration during this period has substantially increased the weight of other languages and, to a lesser degree, Castilian, so that in relative terms Catalan has been reduced as a first language between 2003 and 2018.

Abstract

The current language policy and planning of many countries still adhere to the nation-state ideology of “one nation equals one official language”. This issue is likely to cause the linguistic minority groups to devalue or even abandon their own mother tongue and identify with the official language of the country. A case in point is Iran where Persian is the only official language and other languages are merely tolerated, but not promoted. The principal aim of this study is to find factors that lead Kalhuri Kurdish people to choose to speak with their children in Persian at the risk of losing their native language, a phenomenon which may happen as a result of linguistic/language suicide or because of linguicide. Therefore, a researcher-designed and validated questionnaire was administered to 384 Kalhuri Kurdish parents. The results indicated that the language policy and planning in Iran has made Kalhuri parents use Persian in interactions with their children instead of using their own vernacular, Kalhuri. The sociolinguistic implications of the study are discussed in the light of the research findings.

Abstract

We investigate the relative intensity of use of English and French at home for allophone immigrants in the Montreal metropolitan area. We find that the linguistic distances between immigrants’ mother tongues and English and French have an important impact on the relative intensities of use at home of the two Canadian official languages. However, immigrants whose mother tongues are closer to French than to English are relatively less likely to use an official language at home. We further investigate the role of spousal and other characteristics on the integration of immigrants. The results suggest that the home environment is an important factor contributing to the linguistic integration. Individuals exposed to an official language at home with their spouse have significantly higher rates of linguistic integration. Also, English is more attractive than French in the sense that immigrants with an Anglophone partner will have higher integration rates to English than those with a Francophone partner integrating to French.

This article reviews Un(intended) Language Planning in a Globalising World: Multiple Levels of Players at Work

This article reviews Brokering Britain, educating citizens: Exploring ESOL and citizenship

This article reviews A language management approach to language problems: Integrating macro and micro dimensions