Sociolinguistics Symposium 19
Freie Universität Berlin | August 21-24, 2012
Programme: accepted abstracts
Abstract ID: 442
Part of General Paper Session (Other abstracts in this session)
English-Medium instruction in a multilingual and language-sensitive context. Case study: Antwerp University, Belgium
Authors: van Splunder, Frank
Submitted by: van Splunder, Frank (Antwerp University, Belgium)
As many other cities, Antwerp consists of a cosmopolitan mix of languages and nationalities, even though the only official language of the administration as well as education - as decreed by the Flemish authorities - is Dutch. Languages other than Dutch can be used under specific circumstances only. At the same time, however, English is increasingly gaining importance as a lingua franca, at the expense of all other foreign languages (most notably French).
This paper reports on the use of English as a medium of instruction in a non-English speaking context. That is, students as well as lecturers are native speakers of languages other than English. Whereas the students are from various linguistic backgrounds, most lecturers are native speakers of Dutch, although they have teaching experience in at least Dutch and English.
The research is based on a case study carried out at the Institute of Development Policy and Management, a postgraduate programme organised at Antwerp University. Originally the programme was set up in French, then it was turned into an alternating French-English programme, and since 2007 the programme is in English only.
The focus of my research is on the linguistic and political (ideological) context, as well as on current language practices in a multilingual and language-sensitive context. My research draws on language policy research, discourse analysis, and language attitudes research. It reveals that English is widely accepted in an academic context, in spite of a monolingual ideology, and that it has replaced French as a second language in Flanders.