Multilingual Perspectives From Europe And Beyond On Language Policy And Practice

This edited volume offers an overarching, yet detailed view of fast-changing language policy and practice in Europe and beyond. It provides a thorough investigation of different linguacultural scenarios, exploring how language policy has repercussions on research and initiatives in the field of language education. With contributions from a range of European settings as well as Turkey and the USA, the book discusses topical issues related to language learning and explores how these can shape our identities. Chapters present cutting-edge research on translanguaging, English Medium Instruction, multilingualism and minority languages in Europe. The volume forecasts what future educational policies might look like, and questions how evaluating and rethinking educational practices can produce positive effects on language practices as well as language policies. The book has a wide-reaching international focus and will be an important resource for researchers, academics, language experts and postgraduate students in the fields of applied linguistics, language education and sociolinguistics.

Expanding on the results of the EU project LINEE (Languages in a Network of European Excellence), this book pursues a multi-focal approach which elaborates on European Multilingualism as an ongoing process of shaping policy and generating scientific knowledge.

Today’s growing mobility in European urban regions results in a more widespread language diversity, which is increasingly challenging current language policies. Against this background, this volume deals with the interface between language policy, language planning and actual practices. The impact that prevailing language policies have on language practices is observed in a series of urban settings, leading to a reflection on the changes that need to be brought about to promote social inclusion and valorise linguistic diversity in a context of globalisation-affected and migration-related multilingualism. The topics of discussion draw on different theoretical perspectives and span the research fields of linguistics, education, (family) language policy and planning, language acquisition and sociology.

English Medium Instruction (EMI) refers to the use of the English language to teach academic subjects where first language of the majority of the population is not English. One popular implementation of EMI, the Multilingual Model, would imply that some aspects (e.g. courses, sessions in some courses, and/or assessment) are taught through English, whereas the first language of the students is used in some other respects. This volume explores context-related ways in which the multilingual EMI model and translingual practices are seen and enacted in higher education contexts across the globe. Research on this topic is not only timely but also very much needed, particularly in contexts that are relatively new to EMI, as well as in contexts where monolingual forms of teaching and monolingual institutional policies still prevail. Empirical, research-based studies as well as theoretical reviews that centre around multilingual and translingual practices in partial and full (i.e. English-only) EMI settings are elaborated, with case studies from Colombia, Indonesia, Iraq, Norway, Qatar, Spain, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the UK and the USA.

As Europe continues to expand and integrate through the European Union, it faces the challenge of ever increasing multilingual and multicultural contact, within and across its borders. This volume presents recent research on European language policy, language contact and multiculturalism that explores how Europe is meeting this challenge. Inspired by intersections and conflicts in language and cultural identity in Europe, the volume transcends disciplinary boundaries by enhancing sociolinguistic research with chapters on cultural identity and language in contemporary European cinema. The book considers the relationships between language and cultural identity in Europe at a time of increasing multicultural complexity, with contributions on Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Ukraine, and the linguistic and imaginative spaces between and beyond. The volume highlights the ongoing significance of language and identity for an expanding Europe, and the ways in which situations of linguistic hybridity, interlocution and language contact continue to define Europe and its others.

The ECML's Languages for social cohesion programme (2004-2007) involved approximately 4500 language professionals from Europe and beyond. This publication focuses on key developments in language education promoted through the work of the European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe (ECML). It serves three main functions. Firstly, it summarises the ECML's contributions to fostering linguistic and cultural diversity in European societies. Secondly, it contains the proceedings of the ECML Conference, held in September 2007 at the University of Graz, to communicate the results of this programme to the wider public. Thirdly, it provides a preview of the projects which comprise the next programme of the ECML (2008-2011): 'Empowering language professionals: competences - networks - impact - quality'. In this way the publication both provides an overview of current issues and trends in European language teaching and indicates perspectives for the future.

This volume explores the roots of Europe's struggle with multilingualism. It argues that, over the centuries, the pursuit of linguistic homogeneity has become a central aspect of the mindset of Europeans. In its extreme form, it became manifest in the principle of 'one language, one state, one people'. Consequently, multilingualism came to be viewed as an undesirable aberration. The authors of this volume approach the relationship between standard languages and multilingualism from a historical, cross-European perspective. They provide a comprehensive overview of the emergence of a standard language ideology and its intricate relationship with matters of ethnicity, territorial unity and social mobility. They explain for different European language areas in what ways the emergence of standard languages had an impact on multilingual policies and practices. Its comparative approach makes this volume an important resource for linguists, researchers from different philologies and social historians.

This edited book examines language perceptions and practices in multilingual university contexts in the aftermath of recent theoretical developments questioning the conceptualization of language as a static entity, drawing on case studies from different Northern European contexts in order to explore the effects of phenomena including internationalization, widening participation, and migration patterns on language attitudes and ideologies. The book provides cutting-edge perspectives on language uses in Northern European universities by drawing attention to the multiplicity of language practices alongside the prominence of English in international study programmes and research publication. It will be of interest to students and scholars of multilingualism, sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, and education, as well as language policymakers. bfiqo