'Miss, who needs the languages of immigrants?' : a study in attitudes and values attached to bilingualism in England and Wales

A question put to me in a London school by a Kurdish and Arabic speaking student, a recent arrival from Iraq, encapsulates the research questions of this thesis. Working and engaging with bilingual young people, who are unable to see the value of languages other than English in a global city such as London, has been the driving force ofthis research. As part of a cycle of several studies on attitudes to bilingualism of different sections of society in England and Wales, it contributes to a wider search for factors that create perceptions like the one chosen as the title quote. This study seeks to gain an insight into attitudes that politicians, policy makers and key professionals have in relation to bilingualism, as evidenced in the data collected. As a smallscale qualitative study it focuses on the context ofEngland and Wales. The main body of data is collected in interviews, while a search ofthe Hansard Parliamentary debate records provides the additional data. The dichotomy between the discourses of our culture and our economy exposes the complexity of issues around the definition ofBritishness, contemporary British multicultural society and economic globalisation. 'Our culture' has a very exclusive definition in the community of politicians: only languages indigenous to the British Isles matter to the British culture. It differs greatly from the discourse of'our economy' . The potential economic value that minority languages have is emphasised by all interviewees, with a common agreement that this area has not yet been explored well, especially by the Government. The argument developed throughout this study exposes multiple types of educational inequality and social injustice embedded in this dichotomy.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Towards an interdisciplinary lifetime approach to multilingualism:From implicit assumptions to current evidence

Many types of human behaviour, from scientific research to political decision-making, are based on implicit assumptions, considered to be so self-evident that they do not need any further justification. Such assumptions are particularly powerful in topics related to language: one of the most universal and fundamental human abilities and a prerequisite for social life, civilisation and culture. They become a driving force in the current debates about multilingualism. We identify three central assumptions underlying key controversies related to language: (a) the “limited resources model” assuming that learning languages has a detrimental effect on learning other subjects, (b) the notion that the “normal” state of human brain, mind and society is either monolingualism, or a strong dominance of a “mother tongue”, accompanied by less relevant “additional” languages, (c) the belief that the aim of language learning is a “native-like” proficiency and anything that fails to reach it has only limited value. Combining radically different academic backgrounds (education and cognitive neuroscience) and methodologies (qualitative and quantitative) we examine how these assumptions influence attitudes towards multilingualism. We evaluate the available empirical evidence and explore conceptual common ground, from the design of school curricula to the promotion of healthy ageing. We conclude that our perspectives complement each other, providing a valuable tool to inform language policy. Bien des comportements humains, des recherches scientifiques aux prises de décisions politiques, sont basés sur des hypothèses implicites, considérées comme si évidentes en elles-mêmes qu’elles ne nécessitent donc pas de justifications supplémentaires. Ces hypothèses sont particulièrement pertinentes sur les sujets concernant le langage, capacité humaine la plus universelle et la plus fondamentale, et pré-requis pour la vie en société, la civilisation et la culture. Ces hypothèses jouent un rôle moteur dans les débats actuels sur le multilinguisme. On distingue trois hypothèses majeures subordonnées aux controverses clés liées au langage: a) “le modèle à ressources limitées” qui défend l’idée que l’apprentissage des langues se fait au détriment de l’apprentissage d’autres matières, b) la notion selon laquelle l’état “normal” du cerveau humain, de la pensée et de la société est, soit le monolinguisme, soit une forte domination de la langue maternelle, accompagnée de langues additionnelles moins pertinentes, c) la croyance selon laquelle le but de l’apprentissage des langues est d’atteindre le niveau de compétence d’un locuteur natif et que tout échec à y parvenir en limite la valeur. L’association de nos formations académiques (éducation et neurosciences cognitive) et de nos méthodologies (qualitative et quantitative) qui sont radicalement différentes, nous permettent d’examiner comment ces hypothèses influencent les nombreuses théories au sujet du multilinguisme. Nous analysons les résultats empiriques disponibles et explorons les points communs conceptuels depuis l’élaboration des programmes scolaires jusqu’à la sensibilisation au vieillissement sain. Nous en concluons que nos perspectives se complètent les unes les autres et offrent un précieux outil qui contribue au développement de la politique linguistique

Višejezični učenici u londonskim osnovnim školama: politika, praksa i profesionalni razvoj

This paper is a summary of a report section produced for LUCIDE (Languages in Urban Contexts: Integration and Diversity in Europe) project and network, funded by the EU Commission Lifelong learning programme 2011–2014, based on the collected primary and secondary data. This summary focuses on multilingualism in mainstream education. The full report addresses multilingualism in several other areas: public, economic, private sphere and urban spaces. It is available on: www.urbanlanguages.eu. Considering the size, population and complexity of London, our specific focus is on one local authority (out of an existing 33): the City of Westminster, geographically the heart of this metropolis. Westminster is in many ways representative of London language trends. It shows some of the most prominent features of multilingualism in London: an extraordinary linguistic variety with a wide distribution of languages, where no one language is dominant. The aim of this research is to gain insights into experiences of multilingual learners in London in regards to: education practice and relevant policies. Primary data was collected by a team of four researchers who consulted 82 professionals relevant to the identified spheres of practice. The methods used were interviews and questionnaires. The sampling was purposive in terms of relevant professions: education, social work, public services, police and finance and business sector professionals. The theoretical framework used to develop our approach is the typology of language use, which distinguishes: symbolic, pragmatic and authoritative language use.Ovaj je članak sažetak izvješća koje je napravljeno za LUCIDE (Languages in Urban Contexts: Integration and Diversity in Europe; Jezici u urbanim kontekstima: integracija i raznolikost u Europi) projekt i mrežu. Projekt je financiran iz Programa Europske unije za cjeloživotno učenje 2011.-2014., temeljem prikupljenih primarnih i sekundarnih podataka. Ovaj se sažetak fokusira na višejezičnost u osnovnoškolskom obrazovanju. Cjelovito izvješće govori o višejezičnosti u nekoliko ostalih područja: javnoj, gospodarskoj, privatnoj sferi te urbanim prostorima (dostupno na: www.urbanlanguages.eu) S obzirom na veličinu, stanovništvo i složenost Londona u radu je posebna pažnja usmjerena na lokalnu jedinicu (od postojeće 33): grad Westminster koji je zemljopisno srce ove metropole. Westminster je na mnogo načina predstavnik jezičnih trendova u Londonu. To pokazuje neke od najistaknutijih obilježja višejezičnosti Londona, kao što je izvanredna lingvistička raznolikost sa širokom rasprostranjenošću jezika, pri čemu niti jedan jezik nije dominantan. Cilj ovog istraživanja je stjecanje uvida u iskustva višejezičnih učenika u Londonu s obzirom na obrazovnu praksu i relevantne politike. Primarne podatke prikupio je tim od četiri istraživača koji su konzultirali 82 stručnjaka relevantna za identificirana područja prakse. Korištene su metode intervjuiranja i anketiranja. Uzorkovanje je svrhovito obuhvaćalo relevantne struke: obrazovanje, socijalni rad, javne službe, policiju i financije te stručnjake iz poslovnog sektora. Teorijski okvir za razvoj ovog pristupa je tipologija uporabe jezika koja razlikuje: simboličku, pragmatičnu i autoritativnu primjenu jezika

Višejezični učenici u londonskim osnovnim školama: politika, praksa i profesionalni razvoj

This paper is a summary of a report section produced for LUCIDE (Languages in Urban Contexts: Integration and Diversity in Europe) project and network, funded by the EU Commission Lifelong learning programme 2011–2014, based on the collected primary and secondary data. This summary focuses on multilingualism in mainstream education. The full report addresses multilingualism in several other areas: public, economic, private sphere and urban spaces. It is available on: www.urbanlanguages.eu. Considering the size, population and complexity of London, our specific focus is on one local authority (out of an existing 33): the City of Westminster, geographically the heart of this metropolis. Westminster is in many ways representative of London language trends. It shows some of the most prominent features of multilingualism in London: an extraordinary linguistic variety with a wide distribution of languages, where no one language is dominant. The aim of this research is to gain insights into experiences of multilingual learners in London in regards to: education practice and relevant policies. Primary data was collected by a team of four researchers who consulted 82 professionals relevant to the identified spheres of practice. The methods used were interviews and questionnaires. The sampling was purposive in terms of relevant professions: education, social work, public services, police and finance and business sector professionals. The theoretical framework used to develop our approach is the typology of language use, which distinguishes: symbolic, pragmatic and authoritative language use.Ovaj je članak sažetak izvješća koje je napravljeno za LUCIDE (Languages in Urban Contexts: Integration and Diversity in Europe; Jezici u urbanim kontekstima: integracija i raznolikost u Europi) projekt i mrežu. Projekt je financiran iz Programa Europske unije za cjeloživotno učenje 2011.-2014., temeljem prikupljenih primarnih i sekundarnih podataka. Ovaj se sažetak fokusira na višejezičnost u osnovnoškolskom obrazovanju. Cjelovito izvješće govori o višejezičnosti u nekoliko ostalih područja: javnoj, gospodarskoj, privatnoj sferi te urbanim prostorima (dostupno na: www.urbanlanguages.eu) S obzirom na veličinu, stanovništvo i složenost Londona u radu je posebna pažnja usmjerena na lokalnu jedinicu (od postojeće 33): grad Westminster koji je zemljopisno srce ove metropole. Westminster je na mnogo načina predstavnik jezičnih trendova u Londonu. To pokazuje neke od najistaknutijih obilježja višejezičnosti Londona, kao što je izvanredna lingvistička raznolikost sa širokom rasprostranjenošću jezika, pri čemu niti jedan jezik nije dominantan. Cilj ovog istraživanja je stjecanje uvida u iskustva višejezičnih učenika u Londonu s obzirom na obrazovnu praksu i relevantne politike. Primarne podatke prikupio je tim od četiri istraživača koji su konzultirali 82 stručnjaka relevantna za identificirana područja prakse. Korištene su metode intervjuiranja i anketiranja. Uzorkovanje je svrhovito obuhvaćalo relevantne struke: obrazovanje, socijalni rad, javne službe, policiju i financije te stručnjake iz poslovnog sektora. Teorijski okvir za razvoj ovog pristupa je tipologija uporabe jezika koja razlikuje: simboličku, pragmatičnu i autoritativnu primjenu jezika

Engaging with Linguistic Diversity in Global Cities: Arguing for ‘Language Hierarchy Free’ Policy and Practice in Education

Educators working in diverse contexts and looking to promote language learning, as well as maintaining home languages, often encounter resistance and negativity directed towards a wide range of languages resulting in language loss at the individual level and language death at a societal level. On the other hand, a small number of languages are regarded as high status languages, in demand to study and speak. This paper has two aims: firstly, to identify processes which result in different attitudes to languages, which will be termed: language hierarchies and, secondly, to suggest an innovative way of creating conditions for development of ‘hierarchy-free education policy and practice’. In order to exemplify these processes the author’s previous research conducted in London and Cardiff is used. Hierarchy-free policy and practice is promoted as a necessary condition for sustainability of endangered languages. The second part of this paper introduces the concept of: ‘Healthy Linguistic Diet’ (Mehmedbegović 2011) and makes a proposal based on this concept for a new, cognitive-based approach to policy and practice in education which would help eradicate language hierarchies. This section presents latest research evidence from cognitive neuroscience, which supports the argument that all stakeholders in education and wider society would benefit from a shift in attitudes and approach to bilingualism and learning other languages. The benefits at the individual and societal level are so significant that acting on this evidence is not only an educational, but also a health and moral imperative too. In the conclusion, I give recommendations in terms of how this new strategy could be developed and implemented

LUCIDE City Report – London

This report is produced for LUCIDE (Languages in Urban Contexts: Integration and Diversity in Europe) project and network, funded by the EU Lifelong learning programme 2010-2014, based on the collected primary and secondary data. It includes a brief historic overview of London’s demolinguistic features and a range of evidence relevant to current manifestations and positioning of multilingualism in this global city. Considering the size, population and complexity of London our specific focus is on one local authority (out of existing 33): the City of Westminster, geographically the heart of this metropolis. Westminster is in many ways representative of London language trends. It shows some of the most prominent features of multilingualism in London: an extraordinary linguistic variety, very random distribution and consistent increases in the number of speakers and languages. Nevertheless, we also make reference to examples of multilingualism from outside Westminster, when we have considered it to be pertinent