6 research outputs found
Towards Blended Learning for Deaf Studies at Third Level in Ireland,
Irish Sign Language (ISL), an indigenous language of Ireland, is recognized by the EU as a natural language. It is a language seperate from the other languages used in Ireland, including English, Irish, and, in Northern Ireland
Linguistic imperialism: still a valid construct in relation to language policy for Irish Sign Language
Linguistic imperialism—a term used to conceptualize the dominance of one
language over others—has been debated in language policy for more than
two decades. Spolsky (2004), for example, has questioned whether the
spread of English was a result of language planning, or was incidental to
colonialism and globalization. Phillipson (2007) contests this view, arguing
that linguistic imperialism is not based on ‘conspiracy’, and is underpinned by
evidence of explicit or implicit language policy that aims to intentionally
advantage some languages at the expense of others. This paper aims to test
criteria of linguistic imperialism by exploring the treatment of Irish Sign
Language (ISL) in language policy, or lack thereof. It does this by exploring
evidence within a conceptual framework of linguistic imperialism to explore
how discrimination and inequality occurs in relation to Irish Sign Language
users in Ireland. The findings highlight many policies and practices that fit the
linguistic imperialism paradigm. The paper, therefore, challenges some views
in language policy that linguistic imperialism lacks credibility (see Spolsky
2004; Ferguson 2006) by highlighting a current case of a minority language
(ISL) under imperialistic-like control of a dominant language (English)