Sociolinguistics Symposium 19
Freie Universität Berlin | August 21-24, 2012
Programme: accepted abstracts
Abstract ID: 654
Part of Session 105: Language and Superdiversity (Other abstracts in this session)
Globalizing language policies in times of superdiversity. The case of Luxembourg.
Authors: Hu, Adelheid
Submitted by: Hu, Adelheid (University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg)
The process of globalization affects all societies in diverse and different ways: economically, politically, culturally and linguistically. Mobility, migration and global online communication have become common phenomena all over the world, leading to linguistic and cultural hybridization, but also to assimilation of social structures and a globalized neoliberal discourse on education and language learning (Rizvi & Lingard 2010). The concept of super-diversity (Vertovec 2007) tries to capture these new forms of sociocultural complexity. In socio-linguistics as well as in cultural theory, these developments have led to a search for new “vocabularies”: The “old” concepts i.e. of multilingualism or multiculturalism don´t seem adequate anymore, as they don´t reflect the dynamics and interconnectedness of discursive practices and cultural encounters. New concepts like translanguaging, polylingualism or metrolingualism have been introduced in order to do justice to the dynamic uses of linguistic resources. In culture theory new metaphors (“hybridity”, “sampling”, “bricolage”) are used to express the diverse cultural and discursive “mélanges” (Hu 2005).
This linguistic and cultural complexity represents an enormous challenge for (foreign) language education in public institutions, which was (and is in many cases) still based on traditional concepts of languages and cultures as separated entities and on monolingual mindsets. Beyond that, a global discourse on educational standards and competency based language learning, inspired by the OECD studies and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages has an enormous influence on language policies and educational practices worldwide (Hu 2012). The focus here lies very much on development and testing of partial competencies in specific languages, but not on plurilingualism and translinguistic practices (Hu, in press).
In my presentation, I will analyze the difficult relationship between local language practices and global policies by taking as an example the linguistic situation and the language-in-education policies of Luxembourg, a linguistically and culturally super-diverse place, where the historical trilingualism (Luxembourgish, German, French) faces not only the growing importance of English as a lingua franca, but also the presence of almost 50 % of migrants and transmigrants (Weber & Horner 2008).
References:
Hu, A. (2005): Grenzüberschreitung durch Aufbrechen erstarrter sprachlicher Konventionen: Neuinszenierungen von `Kultur´und `Sprache´ in der Rhetorik postkolonialer Theoriebildung. In: S. Duxa, A. Hu & B. Schmenk (eds.): Grenzen überschreiten. Menschen, Sprachen, Kulturen. Tübingen: Narr
Hu, A.(2012): The Common European Framework for languages in Germany;: reception, implementation, consequences. In: M. Byram & L. Parmenter (eds.): The Common European Framework of Reference: a case study of cultural politics and global educational influences. Bristol.: Multilingual Matters.
Hu, A. (in press): Plurilingualism. In: M. Byram & A. Hu (eds.): The Routledge Encyclopedia Language Teaching and Learning. London: Routledge.
Rizvi, F. & Lingard, B. (2010): Globalizing Education Policy. London and New York: Routledge.
Vertovec S. (2007): Super-diversity and its implications. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 29(6):1024-54.
Weber, J.-J.; Horner, K.: The language situation in Luxembourg. Current Issues in Language Planning, vol. 9, no. 1, Multilingual Matters, 2008, pp. 69-128.