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Post by Admin on Nov 3, 2014 17:51:40 GMT
DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 22 Goal: Students will become more aware of the political, economic, and cultural questions faced by linguistically diverse countries. This task should be completed by all students using the forum. Objectives: • Students will write at least 2 pages describing the language situation in one particular country or region of the world. • Students will write their opinions regarding the appropriateness of the country/region’s language policy to the needs of the population. Readings: Language policyDirections: Read the 48-slide slideshare entitled Language Policy. The terms and definitions found here are the ones you should use in completing Tasks 3 and 4. Part I For the country or region you have been assigned (see list below), find out: • Where in the world is it? Find a good map. • How many languages are spoken there? • How many of these languages exist in written form? • How many of the total number of languages which are spoken are official languages for the country? • What are the official languages of the country? • What percentage of the country’s population is competent in at least one of the official languages? • What are the languages of instruction in the schools of the country? • Are ethnic/minor languages included in the usual school curriculum? • Are any languages illegal or discouraged? • What is the official language policy of the country? Prepare a document to post on the blog. Be sure to start with at least one good map which will show us all where your country/region is. Then write 600 words or more in order to answer all the above questions about you assigned country/region. Submit a list of your sources. The sources you use should be reliable, academically acceptable ones, which means you should NOT include Wikipedia. Check the stylesheet and be sure to use APA style and formatting as explained and exampled there. Submit your references via edmodo assignment Task 3 references. Part 2. Write about 500 words in which you explain your opinion on how well your assigned country’s language policy serves its people. Do you think it is fair? Why or why not? Do you think it serves all language/ethnic groups in the country? Do you think it will, in the main, help its citizens to live better lives? How will it do (or not do) that? Post your document on the forum. Country/region Name Angola Jasna Cardenas Australia Rafael Arriquez Belgium Nicole Bravo Brazil Gabriela Pavez Canada (federal level) Tamara Torres Catalonia Ricardo Ramos Central African Republic Vanessa Vega China Daniela Valderrama Croatia Milca Llanten Czech Republic Francisca Velasquez East Timor Soledad Ayabire Estonia Milena Ramirez Finland Maria Cayo France Valentina Carrizo French Polynesia Valeria Olivares Germany Jessica Rojas India Paola Massardo Indonesia Claudia Robles Israel Margarita Cabrera Kenya Marcelo Arias Luxembourg Catalina Estay Malaysia Carlos Alvarez Morocco Felipe Muñoz Northern Ireland Elizabeth Viveros Nunavut(Canada) Juan Santibañez Pakistan Matias Pierola Paraguay Jarixa Urrutia Philippines Karen Pino Quebec (Canada) Paola Torres Republic of Ireland Gabriela Bravo Singapore Erika Leiva Slovakia Sofia Salgado Spain Bastian Escobar Sri Lanka Barbara Ledezma Switzerland David Saldaño Turkey Ivelise Aguirre Ukraine Romina Aedo United Kingdom Sebastian Alliu Uzbekistan Nelson Leiva Wales Simone Larrondo |
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Post by jessicarojas on Nov 21, 2014 20:50:15 GMT
Germany Part 1 *Where in the world is it? kids.nationalgeographic.com/content/kids/en_US/explore/countries/germany/_jcr_content/content/textimage_0/image.img.gif/1396531509334.gif *How many languages are spoken there? Alemannic, Bavarian, Danish, Northern Frisian, German Sign Language, Standard German, Kabardian, Kölsch, Limburgish, Luxembourgish, Mainfränkisch, Pfaelzisch, Plautdietsch, Polish, Balkan Romani, Sinte Romani, Vlax Romani, Saterfriesisch, Frisian East Saxon Low, Low Saxon, Upper Saxon, Lower Sorbian, Upper Sorbian, Swabian, Westphalien, Yeniche and Western Yiddish The Immigrants languages include: Adyghe, Algerian Spoken Arabic, Chaldean Neo-Aramaic, Chinese, Croatian, Dutch, English, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Iranian Persian, Italian, Japanese ,Kabuverdianu, Korean, Laz, Moroccan Spoken Arabic, Northern Kurdish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Standard Tamil, Tigrigna, Tosk Albanian, Tunisian Spoken Arabic, Turkish, Turoyo, Urdu and Vietnamese *How many of these languages exist in written form? 58 of them have written forms *How many of the total number of languages which are spoken are official languages for the country? Just one, Standard German. *What are the official languages of the country? Standard German *What percentage of the country’s population is competent in at least one of the official languages? 95% of the population speaks Standard German. *What are the languages of instruction in the schools of the country? Standard German is the official language for instruction in schools. Out of 38000 schools only 200 offers bilingual programs, but the majority of the programs are German -English or German-French (created to serve political agendas) *Are ethnic/minor languages included in the usual school curriculum? No they are not. Cultivate the German language is the main task of all groups in society. Learn the language is a prerequisite for the integration of foreigners living in Germany, therefore the government is focus on improve the language skills of the immigrants and foreign residents. *Are any languages illegal or discouraged? There aren’t illegal or discouraged languages in Germany, but the official language is highly promoted. Although there is a case of a secondary school were Turkish was banned with the excuse that students could really take part of the culture of Germany if they quit their mother tongue. *What is the official language policy of the country? Part 2 I couldn’t find a lot of information, or very clear information about this topic. Many of the sources were in German, which doesn’t speak very well about their policies if I get to think about it. For what I read in some papers and articles German language policies are not very fair for all the different people living there. The country is in a way obsessed with popularizing German across Europe. Germany is afraid that they’re going to loose their language, therefore everything they do is towards the conservation and promotion of it. The overly strict school system they have makes really difficult for the immigrants to integrate properly. Language minority students don’t have many chances to progress, and just a little percentage of them (3.3%) can make it to the university. These policies just perpetuate the inequality of opportunities for those who were not German born. In addition to it, the teachers are not prepared to teach German as a second language, therefore there’s no concern about the typical mistakes that a GSL learner can make, so the breach between the German speakers and the other languages speakers becomes wider. I think if the government is so interested in making all the people living there proficent in their language they should create realistic strategies for it. They should design programs with teachers that are actually able to teach to a GSL learner, and they should do it in a way that doesn't look as something that's being impose, but as something that will be benefitial in the future. |
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Post by mariacayo on Nov 22, 2014 2:33:31 GMT
Part 1 • Where in the world is it? Finland is located in Europe, between Sweden and Russia and near Norway.  • How many languages are spoken there? There are 2 official languages: Finnish and Swedish (93% of the population speak Finnish and just 6% speak Swedish). Also, there is a minority language called Sámi which is divided in 9 different Sámi languages, but only 3 of these are spoken in Northern Finland: North Sámi (also spoken in Norway and Sweden), Inari Sámi (spoken just in Finland) and Skolt Sámi (also spoken in Russia). Moreover, there are other languages that are spoken such as: English, Estonian, Somali, Finnish Sign Language, Romani, Russian and Arabic. • How many of these languages exist in written form? The only language that has not a written form is the Finnish Sign Language because it uses a visual modality or a signing system for communication. • How many of the total number of languages which are spoken are official languages for the country? The total number of languages spoken in Finland is 12 (including foreign languages) but only 2 of them are official languages. • What are the official languages of the country? Finnish and Swedish. • What percentage of the country’s population is competent in at least one of the official languages? 93%: Finnish 6%: Swedish. • What are the languages of instruction in the schools of the country? Both official languages are in the education curriculum, so parents have the right to choose the language of education for their children. For this reason, Finland Swedes and Finns have their own public education system. Except Aland Islands were the language of instruction is only Swedish. In addition, there are some school in which you can study both languages, so for Finnish students it’s mandatory to learn Swedish and viceversa. Moreover, the Law on Basic education of 1998 says: ‘‘The language of instruction and the language used in extracurricular teaching shall be either Finnish or Swedish. Also, the language of instruction may also be Sami, Romany or Sign Language’’. • Are ethnic/minor languages included in the usual school curriculum? In 1991 was formally legitimized that Sámi should be taught at schools. For this reason, the three Sami languages are taught: 35 schools with 503 pupils for Northern Sami; seven schools with 30 students for Anar Sami; and six schools with forty pupils for Skolt Sami. Most of the teachers are Finnish who are very fluent and proficient in the Sámi language. • Are any languages illegal or discouraged? There are no illegal languages, but some of them are endangered languages such as North Sámi, Inari Sámi and Skolt Sámi. • What is the official language policy of the country? After Finland’s independence, it became an official bilingual country in the Constitution and the Language Act of 1919 and 1922 respectively. In this documents, Finnish and Swedish were both recognized as official languages, Finland’s citizens had the right to choose what language they wanted to use when dealing with public authorities, both languages should be provided of cultural and societal needs, and finally some regions of the country could be unilingual or bilingual (depending of the people who used the minority language), for example: Aland Island was declared unilingual. In addition, Finland has a Sectorial policy which is related to its bilingualism. This policy is applied based on the territorialized individual rights which recognize the same rights to all members of a community without focusing in a specific region. Also, the Constitution provides for the Sámi, Romany and sign language linguistic rights such as: the right to use the Sámi language before the authorities, right to declare Sámi as mother tongue in the Population Register and authorities should use the Sámi language in its communications to the public. Part 2 Finland is a bilingual country that is located in Europe between Sweden and Russia. In this country, there are 2 official languages: Finnish and Swedish (93% of the population speak Finnish and just 6% speak Swedish). Also, there is a minority language called Sámi which is divided in 9 different Sámi languages, but only 3 of these are spoken in Northern Finland: North Sámi (also spoken in Norway and Sweden), Inari Sámi (spoken just in Finland) and Skolt Sámi (also spoken in Russia). Moreover, there are other languages that are spoken such as: English, Estonian, Somali, Finnish Sign Language, Romani, Russian and Arabic. Although there are only 2 official languages (Finnish and Swedish), I think Finland is more than just a bilingual country. I think it is a multicultural country because there are 12 languages that are currently spoken in Finland. Also, the majority of these languages are taught in schools, so people have access to learn more than just 2 languages. I think Finland’s language policy is pretty fair because it includes the 3 main languages of the country which are: Finnish, Swedish and Sámi. Only 2 of these 3 languages are stablish as official languages in Finland (Finnish and Swedish), but the last one (Sámi) has its own Language Act as well. These documents gives certain liberty to people to choose what language they want to speak, and also says that they must receive education in that specific language in order to learn it. In addition, related to the Sámi languages that are spoken in northern Finland, these documents said that Sámi are endangered languages. For this reason, the 3 most spoken Sámi languages in the country are taught in schools. Moreover, most of the students of Finland have the opportunity to learn more than one language; some of them are fluent in Finnish, Sweden, Sámi, and one or more foreign languages like English, Somali, Romani, among others. Also, I think that most of the citizens live in a respectful environment because in the Language Act and Constitution of Finland it is specified that every language should have their own translation. For example: a citizen whose language is Finnish and he/she doesn’t speak Swedish, receives a document written in Swedish. He or She has the right to ask for the same document but in his/her own language. Moreover, Finland includes as one of its languages the Finnish Sign Language. This language is mainly used by deaf/mute people, but also other people have access to it in order to learn it. For example: the Law on Basic education of 1998 says: ‘‘The language of instruction and the language used in extracurricular teaching shall be either Finnish or Swedish. Also, the language of instruction may also be Sami, Romany or Sign Language’’. |
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Post by soledadayabire on Nov 22, 2014 2:45:53 GMT
Part I : East Timor
• Where in the world is it?
East Timor or Timor Leste, is located in Southeast Asia, the island of Timor is part of the Maritime Southeast Asia. Maritime Southeast Asia refers to the maritime region of Southeast Asia as opposed to mainland Southeast Asia and comprises Brunei, Indonesia, East Malaysia, East Timor, the Philippines, and Singapore. It is the largest of the Lesser Sunda Islands. The Timor Sea separates the island from Australia to the south, and the Indonesian Province of East Nusa Tenggara lies to East Timor's west.
  
Image 1 Image 2 Image 3
• How many languages are spoken there?
East Timor is an example of multilingualism. The number of individual languages listed for East Timor is 20. Of these, 19 are living and 1 is extinct. The National Census of 2010 lists 32 endogenous language varieties in use, with 'Tetum' as the head of the list. The Linguistic Survey of East Timor (Hull 1998:4) classifies certain varieties as dialects of other groups and lists 16 languages. These languages descend from the Austronesian and Papuan language families — indicating a long history of contact and migration in the region. Also there are Portuguese the language inherited from the colonization and Indonesian or Bahasa Indonesia that comes from the invasion from that country to East Timor. And finally we have English which is considerate as the 'true worldwide language' by young population.
• How many of these languages exist in written form?
Portuguese, Bahasa Indonesia or Indonesian, English and Tetum, that has a standardized orthography, which was established by the National Institute of Linguistics in 2004.
• How many of the total number of languages which are spoken are official languages for the country?
Just two of them, another two are considered as a "working languages." The rest of them are part of the daily life of the people in the country.
* Working language, also known as procedural language, is the language that is used in a company, state, society or any other organization or body as the main means of communication. The establishment of a working language is necessary in organizations that consist of members from different language backgrounds in order to ensure that everyone is proficient in the working language and there are no errors in communication.
• What are the official languages of the country?
In East Timor, the official languages are Portuguese and Tetum, that is an ethnic language. Tetum has two variations, Tetum Praca or Tetum- Dili ,which is heavily influenced by Portuguese, and Tetum-Terik, a prestigious regional variety primarily spoken in the south and southwestern regions of East Timor.
• What percentage of the country’s population is competent in at least one of the official languages?
Based the 2010 Census, the most commonly spoken languages are Tetum Praca, 36.6% and Mambai with 12.5 %, these are ethnic languages. It is estimated that 59 % know Indonesian, 31.4 %, English, and 23 %, Portuguese.
• What are the languages of instruction in the schools of the country?
Portuguese and Tentum.
• Are ethnic/minor languages included in the usual school curriculum?
Ethnic or minor languages are not included in the usual school curriculum, the only one considered it Tentum. And then Portuguese that is not an ethnic language. Until now, teachers have been expected to use Portuguese as the language of instruction along with Tetum as a pedagogic instrument. Although Tetum is spoken widely as a first or second language, it is not known in all parts of the country. Moreover, few teachers are confident in Portuguese and it is mainly affluent, urban, middle class families that know this language. One consequence of this policy is that many children have been expected to learn in a language they do not understand or use, and they have not been achieving the desired literacy results. Grade repetition and school dropout are also alarmingly high.
Literacy amongst East Timorese primary-age school children is so low that the Ministry of Education is now considering the use of local languages for teaching in pre-primary and primary schools to help children acquire the basic foundations for literacy development in their first language and to address some of the reasons for the high rate of school dropout.
For all those reasons a new language of instruction policy has recently been drafted. A key element is that the mother tongue will be the focus of the early years of schooling. It is currently in a pilot stage.
"Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education for Timor Leste National Policy" is a policy proposal, based on the document Development of a Policy on Language in Education in Timor Leste was produced by Mr.Anacleto Ribeiro and members of the Language in Education Working Group (July 2010). Its objectives are:
1. Cultural identity and citizenship.
2. Enhanced and transferable literary.
3. Educational access, attainment and success.
4. Preparation for later learning in official (national) and international languages.
Mother tongue-based education is all about “helping children learn”. This important document cites the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which, at article 28, states that all children have the right to education and, at article 30, states that all children have the right to learn and use the language of their family. The objectives of a mother tongue-based multilingual education policy therefore are both practical and symbolic; they are about delivery of efficient and effective education but also about cultural, familial and linguistic rights.
Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education for Timor Leste National Policy
• Are any languages illegal or discouraged?
There are not illegal languages but Portuguese and Indonesian are hate and love at the same time. They were the instruments of colonialism and occupation of East Timor. Under Portuguese rule, all education was through the medium of Portuguese, although it coexisted with Tetum and other languages. Portuguese particularly influenced the dialect of Tetum spoken in the capital, Dili, known as Tetun Prasa. After a briefly independence from Portugal, East Timor was colonized again by Indonesia.
Under Indonesian rule, Indonesian was the official language. Now the Indonesian language, or Bahasa Indonesia, has ceased to be an official language, although it, along with English, has the status of a 'working language' under the Constitution. It is still widely spoken, particularly among younger people who were educated entirely under the Indonesian system, under which the use of either Portuguese or Tetum were banned.
For many older East Timorese, the Indonesian language has negative connotations with the violent invasion of Suharto regime , but many younger people have expressed suspicion or hostility to the reinstatement of Portuguese, which they see as a 'colonial language'.
For old people Portuguese means more than being nostalgic for Portugal as young people think, its significance is connected to their struggle for independence under the Indonesian rule, for which so much suffering was endured and so much committed; they used Portuguese as a weapon against their ruler. That is why they decided to keep Portuguese as an official language.
• What is the official language policy of the country?
There are five official instruments of language policy development have served to reconstruct an authentically East Timorese identity:
1. The National Constitution of 2001
The Constitution declares Portuguese and Tetum to be co-official languages. Tetum is designated both an official and a national language and the other endogenous languages are given the status of national languages, to be protected and Language and identity in East Timor 161 valued by the State. Section 159 of the Constitution provides that English and Indonesian shall have the status of working languages. The Constitution aligns the country closely with Portugal and the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries5 (CPLP is its Portuguese acronym). Section 8.3 provides that ‘privileged ties’ shall be retained with countries whose official language is Portuguese. This clause acknowledges the support given by Portuguese-speaking countries in the struggle for independence. Other clauses in the constitution make equally strong statements of identity. The resistance movement is valorized for its central contribution to the independence struggle. The Catholic Church is also valorized for its role in facilitating the emergence of Tetum as the language of national identity.
2. Government Decree No. 1 of 2004: Orthographical Standard of the Tetum Language.
Government Decree No. 1, 2004 (known as the Language Decree) provides that Official Tetum is the prestige variety of the language to be adopted as the standard. When viewed as discourse, the decree takes on a symbolism that goes beyond the mechanics of grammar and spelling. The Decree acknowledges Tetum as an essential element in the construction of the nation and in the affirmation of East Timorese identity. The four principles in the decree for renovating the lexicon of Official Tetum are highly political statements of identity. They provide that: (i) Tetum-Praça will be the basis of the literary language, (ii) Indonesian loanwords are to be avoided and eventually eliminated, (iii) there is to be a distancing from Indonesian-influenced idiom in favour of Tetum- Terik, which has fewer modern Indonesian loanwords, and (iv) all loanwords must conform to the rules of the orthography. The Language Decree further provides that Official Tetum must be used in three high status domains: the education system, official publications and in social communication. Priority must be given to Official Tetum and Portuguese in public images and signs. English and Indonesian must not be used unless they are accompanied by texts in Tetum and Portuguese with greater visual prominence. Whether this will become a reality in the face of the extensive use of Portuguese and the working languages has yet to be seen. Two further acts of status planning place statutory obligations on public servants to use the official languages.
3. Civil Service Law No. 8 of 2004.
Civil Service Law No. 8/2004, obliges public servants to use the official languages in public administration. The law applies to the Defense Forces and the Police, the Office of the President of the Republic, the National Parliament, and the Courts.
4. The Language Directive of 2004
The Language Directive requires every court actor to use the official languages in correspondence, requests, official documents and letters. Documents not submitted in the official languages must be returned and given eight days for resubmission in the official languages. Medium-of-instruction policy plays a central role in nation building and social reconstruction. It is perhaps the most important means at the state’s disposal for maintaining and revitalizing languages and cultures. It is also an important tool of inter-generational transmission (Fishman & Fishman 2000). As Tollefson and Tsui (2004:17) point out, “choices made in medium of instruction are not purely about educational efficacy but also about social, political, and economic participation, social equality, and human rights.”
5. The Education Policy Framework for 2004–2008
The Education Policy Framework for 2004–2008 sets out goals and priorities for education. Objectives include hastening the reintroduction of Portuguese as the medium of instruction and the revival of Tetum in schools. Curriculum policy mandates the use of Portuguese as the medium of instruction from Grades 1 to 6. Portuguese as a subject was introduced in the junior secondary grades in 2005. Indonesian was withdrawn from the curriculum in schools and the national university. This curriculum framework represents a transitional approach to the teaching and learning of the official languages. It typifies the vulnerability of lower status languages inherent in transitional models. It clearly shows that Tetum is not regarded as the equal of Portuguese in the classroom:
• Overall, since Tetum is at a preliminary stage of development, the implementation of Portuguese will have precedence and Tetum may be used as a pedagogic aid in the teaching of disciplines related to the environment, social sciences, history and geography. (MECYS 2004:11)
Part 2:
I think the current policy tries to be fair with everybody but as we know it only considers Tentum and Portuguese. We agree that just for having Tentum as an official language the government is helping to the ethnic language development. But considering that in East Timor there are more than fifteen ethnic languages spoken is not fair at all, even when government could not consider Tentum as an official language. In East Timor lots of people are multilingual and speak two or more languages at the same time, but not everybody speaks Tentum or Portuguese. Those people need to get special translations of their official documents to make them legal in the country. I think is a way of discrimination not being able to get your documents in your own language but on the other hand I understand the government because is not possible to become the twenty languages spoken in official languages. I mean it is possible but not practical.
Obviously the language policies do not work for every language in the country. They have two official languages, the two working languages and the rest are recognized by the government as national languages. For example children are the most harmed because they have to learn in Tentum or Portuguese but the most of them do not speak any of those languages. Actually not all the teachers speak one of the official languages but they have to teach anyway. As I wrote before that is the main cause of low performance and drop out of school. For that reason I think it is completely important to legalized policies such "Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education for Timor Leste National Policy" because it will help all the community equitably.
I really do not if the current policy of language will help its citizens to live better lives, personally I think they already have a better life being a democratic republic after Indonesian rule. Many people do not feel comfortable having to speak Portuguese, most of them are the young people. They say that have Portuguese as an official language instead English is a disadvantage. Nowadays young people in East Timor think English is the biggest language in the world and also it is a powerful tool to get better jobs. They really think English can bring them better opportunities in life. I think it would be a good idea to teach English in schools in a formal way, because even when English is a working language in the country it is not taught in every school. Some schools have foreign people such as researchers who teach English in retribution because of the information received from the community. To teach formal English in the country will help in the development of the society in East Timor. Also the policies of the government about ethnic languages help people to create their own identity giving them the opportunity to have a better life.
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Post by gabrielabravo07 on Nov 22, 2014 3:15:48 GMT
  The REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, also known as IRELAND Ireland is a single island located next to Britain. In this island there are two countries, Northern Ireland, which consists of six counties, and the Republic of Ireland, which consists of twenty-six counties. The Republic of Ireland, also called Ireland, is an independent state; it’s not part of the United Kingdom and makes up most of Ireland’s island. In the Republic of Ireland, there are many types of languages spoken. Irish is spoken by 30% of the population, and English is spoken by 92% of the population. As an immigrant language 40% of the populations speaks Polish, 20% of the Republic of Ireland’s population speaks French, 7% speaks German and 4% speaks Spanish. Italian, Czech, Hungarian, Slovak, Arabic, Japanese, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Ancient Greek, Hebrew and Latin are some of the languages heard around the population in the Republic of Ireland. In this country, Irish and English exists in written form, but English is commonly used as a mother tongue. Also, English is commonly used for street signs (which are written in English and not in Irish), since is the common language for 90% of the population and tourists. In the republic of Ireland there aren’t any illegal or discouraged languages. Irish is given recognition by the Constitution of Irelands as the national and first official language of the Republic of Ireland. It was the only language spoken until the 17th century, but the English up rise, emigration and the effects of the potato famines led to a sharp decline in the language. Today, the Republic of Ireland has 2 official languages. Irish is spoken as a first language by a small minority of the population of the Republic of Ireland. The second official language is English, the mother tongue of most Irish people, it’s the most commonly spoken. In the Republic of Ireland 3% are native speakers, 10% are fluent speakers and 17% of the population prefer not to use Irish as their official language, or to communicate with others. In the Republic of Ireland’s education, bilingualism is mandatory. Every elementary school in the country must teach English and Irish from first grade right through to the end of the primary level. Ireland's ministry of education has adopted special measures (which included speaking less English in schools) in Celtic speaking districts of the Gaeltacht in which the mother tongue is Irish, and the second language, English. In high school, Irish becomes optional and can be replaced by other languages like French, Italian, Spanish or German. Though almost all of the children decided to learn Irish, the educational system still doesn't succeed in producing active, competent users of the Irish language; throughout 13 years in schools teaching the language. This is an example of why the Irish language has continuously decreased in its use, since most of the adolescents prefer to express themselves and communicate with each other in English rather than in Irish. The official language policy in the Republic of Ireland is based on bilingualism policy which favors two official languages (in this case Irish and English). This policy is categorized in a non-territorialized individual rights policy. A policy which states that it recognizes the same rights to all members of a community whatever their location on the national territory it is. Part 2
The Republic of Ireland is a bilingual country located in a part of a single island located next to Britain. The Republic of Ireland is an independent state; it’s not part of the United Kingdom. In this country there are 2 official languages: English and Irish (92% of the population speaks Irish and 30% speaks Irish). There are other languages spoken in the country such as: Polish, French,German, Spanish, Italian, Czech, Hungarian, Slovak, Arabic, Japanese, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Ancient Greek, Hebrew and Latin. Most of the important and useful documents on the Republic of Ireland are written in both languages: English and Irish. So if someone doesn’t speak Irish they can easily acces to documents in Irish, and vice versa. I think The Republic of Ireland is a bilingual country, not only because it has 2 official languages, but because many of these languages spoken in the country are taught in schools, such as: German, Spanish, French and Italian; so it’s easier for them to improve their learning. Irish students have the opportunity to learn in a mandatory this languages in schools, so the Irish language prosper. In addition, they have the chance to learn new languages. They are able to choose the one it fits the most of them, so they graduate from school knowing three languages, something very useful now a days. Ireland’s language policy is fair because it includes 2 official languages in the country, such as Irish and English, which are spoken by a large percentage of the population. The policy states that it recognizes the same rights to all members of a community whatever their location on the national territory it is. So it doesn’t discriminate where you are from, and what language you speak. |
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Post by carlos on Nov 22, 2014 14:50:37 GMT
Malaysia
Part IWhere in the world is it?
   How many languages are spoken there?
Malay( Bahasa Malaysia), Chinese, Tamil, English, Iban, Dusunic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainanese, Fuzhou, Manglish (A colloquial form of English with heavy Malay, Chinese and Tamil influences) Creole languages such as Malaccan (taken from Portuguese) and Chavacano (Taken from Spanish) Aside from this, there are other 137 living languages whose backgrounds are deeply connected with Indian and Chinese dialects. How many of these languages exist in written form? Malay, Chinese, Tamil, Iban, Dusunic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainanese, Fuzhou and the creole languages (Manglish, Malaccan and Chavacano) all have written forms. How many of the languages which are spoken are official languages for the country?
Malay, Chinese and Tamil. What are the official languages of the country? Malay, Chinese and Tamil What percentage of the country’s population is competent in at least one of the official languages?
The number of people being competent in the languages spoken in Malaysia is not clear enough, but if we had to classify them into percentages, the results would be: Malay: 90% of the population Chinese: 70% of the population Chinese: 60% of the population What are the languages of instruction in the schools of the country?Although Malay is one of the official languages and ones of the most spoken in the country, this is not the case if we talk about Education. The instruction language by far is English, which is used in schools as well as in universities. English is mainly used in the instruction of maths, science and commerce. Are ethnic/minor languages included in the usual school curriculum? As it was previously mentioned, English dominates a large part of the educational system of Malaysia. The government also encourages the use of the other major languages (Tamil and Chinese) and lots of programs have been proposed to decrease the level of dependence on English and promote the use of ethic language. However, as Malaysia is so culturally diverse, these efforts have had little or no effect upon the educational system. The government thinks that English unifies the nation in terms of communication. Therefore, instructing in minor language is seen as a disadvantage. Are there any illegal or discouraged?
No, there aren’t. However, at some point in 2009 English was banned by the government. This was because of political issues. However, the ban was quickly rejected by some teachers who argued that, for example, teaching Malay in fields such as technology or science was complex because these languages lacked of concepts that related to them. Also, English has played (and still plays) a big role in international commerce, so the ban would have brought more problems than solutions. What is the official language policy of the country? After Independence in 1957, the government of Malaysia set out on a program to establish Bahasa Melayu as official language, to be used in all government functions and as the medium of instruction at all levels. For 40 years, the government supported a major program for language cultivation and modernization. It did not however attempt to control language use in the private sector, including business and industry, where globalization pressure led to a growing demand for English. The demand for English was further fuelled by the forces of the internationalization of education which were met in part by the opening of English-medium affiliates of international universities. In 2002, the government announced a reversal of policy, calling for a switch to English as a medium of instruction at all levels in order to allow Malaysia to be immersed into the global world. Part 2.
Write about 500 words in which you explain your opinion on how well your assigned country’s language policy serves its people. Do you think it is fair? Why or why not? Do you think it serves all language/ethnic groups in the country? Do you think it will, in the main, help its citizens to live better lives? How will it do (or not do) that? Post your document on the forum.
I think language policies should be handled, studied and applied with care. Unfortunately, in most cases, these language policies come across hardships in the sense that they create conflicts with socio-cultural aspects in a particular country. In the case of Malaysia, the results have proved to be mixed. Before going into details, there are a few points that we need to take into account in order to understand the position that Malaysia stands for. To begin with, the territory of Malaysia is divided into two main regions; East Malaysia and West Malaysia, whose territories are separated by the South China ocean. So, we are technically talking about two island territories being one state. Additionally, Malaysia is surrounded by several small islands that are inhabited by people of diverse cultures. This cultural richness creates barriers in the efforts of creating language policies because some languages, depending on the influence they will have over society, will naturally be benefited while others will be left behind. As a second point, Malaysia used to be a British colony for quite some time. This means that English was spread in the Malaysian society and soon became a primary language that would later be used as the language for administration, commerce and education. Furthermore, English as the lingua franca of today’s world, has been used to unify cultures that would not have been able to communicate if English did not exist. As a third point, the current language policy encourages English over other languages because of its importance to the economy of the country. Malaysia’s position in South Asia is strategic since it is surrounded by potential nations that provide Malaysia of important resources such as Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore. Having stated all these points, I believe that the Malaysian language policy the government has implemented has benefited people in the sense that they have more advantages studying and speaking English rather than leaving English only as an optional language. Malaysia has an advantage that other countries don’t have, and it’s that it already counts with an English background. Plus, its people have a wide knowledge of the language. So, they have a “base” if we could say. I think the process is fair because the population in general has not lost the mastery of their other languages such as Malay, Tamil or Chinese. Quite the contrary, they have been able to adapt English into their culture. This can be seen with the existence of Manglish, which is a mixture of Malay, Tamil and Chinese. If they master English apart from the languages they already dominate, it will beneficial for the population, especially for those who speak Chinese, which is a very demanded language these days.
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Post by carlos on Nov 22, 2014 14:59:24 GMT
Also, I think that most of the citizens live in a respectful environment because in the Language Act and Constitution of Finland it is specified that every language should have their own translation. For example: a citizen whose language is Finnish and he/she doesn’t speak Swedish, receives a document written in Swedish. He or She has the right to ask for the same document but in his/her own language. I think this policy is amazing because the government is considering all the languages and not the one that has "the crown". Moreover, if documents are translated in more languages, then this gives the country a good and serious image of how it administrates not only this policy, but also other ones. |
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Post by carlos on Nov 22, 2014 15:12:19 GMT
They say that have Portuguese as an official language instead English is a disadvantage. Nowadays young people in East Timor think English is the biggest language in the world and also it is a powerful tool to get better jobs. They really think English can bring them better opportunities in life. I think it would be a good idea to teach English in schools in a formal way, because even when English is a working language in the country it is not taught in every school. Some schools have foreign people such as researchers who teach English in retribution because of the information received from the community. To teach formal English in the country will help in the development of the society in East Timor. Also the policies of the government about ethnic languages help people to create their own identity giving them the opportunity to have a better life.
That's the main problem some nations have. Especially with English, that surpasses the official language in terms of usage. East Timor reminds me of Haiti, which is a country that is located in Central America. They have french as the official language, but most of the popultation actually speak creole french, and not the "true" french. Additionally, English is widely used, especially by the young population, and it serves as a linking language with other important nations in the continent such as United states or Canada. These two countries provide Haiti with a lot of resources and money donation, especially Canada, whose language backgrounds are related to Haiti for the french language. I think East Timor has to analyse the language issue deeply. I agree with the fact that English might give them better opportunities than using Portuguese because in the South-East Asia region, portuguese is not as widely spoken as English. So they should consider this point and so something about it. |
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Post by sebaalliu on Nov 22, 2014 15:38:27 GMT
PART 1
• Where in the world is it? Find a good map.
   The Philippines are located in Southeast Asia, in the western Pacific Ocean. 7,107 islands belong to this country, which are divided under three main geographical divisions: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. • How many languages are spoken there?
According to Ethnologue web site in the Philippines there are approximately from 70 to 171 different languages. Despite the fact that there are many different languages there are just 12 Philippine languages with over one million native speakers. The most spoken languages are Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, and Tagalog. We may divide those different languages in 3 big zones: Northern, Central and Southern. The major languages of the northern region are Ilokano, Tagalog, Kapampangan, and Pangasinan. In the center we find Visayan and Bikol speakers. The southern Philippine languages are Maranao and, Subanun There are some languages that had been included to the islands, for example: Chinese/Lan-nang, Arabic, Japanese, Malay / Indonesian and Spanish • How many of these languages exist in written form?
There are a lot of languages; however no more than 120 have a written form • How many of the total number of languages which are spoken are official languages for the country?
Only two • What are the official languages of the country?
English and Filipino are the official languages • What percentage of the country’s population is competent in at least one of the official languages?The 56.63% of the people in Philippines speaks English and, about 96% of the Philippines are able to understand Filipino Many people in Philippines keep speaking just their indigenous language, instead of Filipino. On the other hand, there are many Filipinos that are trilingual speakers. These people usually speak English, Filipino, and their indigenous language. • What are the languages of instruction in the schools of the country?
Filipino is mandatory in schools and, English is commonly used in higher education. Elementary and secondary schools use the English language too, but not as much as is used in high school. Filipino is used in subjects as social sciences, music, arts, physical education, and character education. English, on the other hand is used to teach science, mathematics and technology subjects. • Are ethnic/minor languages included in the usual school curriculum?
According to the Philippine Bilingual Education Policy the languages that must be taught in schools are English and Filipino. However, the indigenous languages can be used as auxiliary languages in first and second grades. Probably little kids had been raised with an indigenous languages, for this reason, regional languages are allowed in the first years of school. So, those indigenous languages are included, although not as the main language. • Are any languages illegal or discouraged?
In this country there are no illegal or discouraged languages. This does not mean that native languages are fostered. Actually the government, for communication and instructional purposes, forces people to use either English or Filipino. As is written in the Philippine Bilingual Education Policy: “At the discretion of the HEI, Literature subjects may be taught in Filipino, English or any other language as long as there are enough instructional materials for the same and both students and instructors/professors”. • What is the official language policy of the country?
The Philippines clearly has a language policy that favors Filipino and English, which are the official languages. In my opinion, this country has Bilingualism Policies based on non-territorialized individual rights, because they foster these two main languages in order to unite the country. However, they respect the indigenous languages among their territory. PART 2
In my opinion, the language policy used by The Philippines is really useful for their people because it joins the whole multilingual nation with two languages. It helps when people from the north go to the south, and they can communicate using a common language. In addition, we must notice that people can keep their native language. So, they are not forced to leave their roots, because those indigenous languages are not prohibited at all, and at the same time, they can get into this globalized world. This policy serves to the whole population, including ethnic groups. All the people are able to understand thanks to this policy. They are prepared to receive people from other parts of the world. They are capable to deal with all kind of technology. It obviously will help people to have a better lifestyle, and it will give them more chances all around the world. By applying this language policy communication should not be an issue for people, they should be able to understand in • Their territory: there are among 170 different spoken languages around those islands. With these policies Philippines are allowed to keep their indigenous language, therefore, they can speak in their own towns, cities, or islands. • Their country: Filipino and English are they chosen languages to join the whole country. Those two languages let people communicate efficiently without misunderstandings. • Around the world: here appears the world wide language, English. It will let people go wherever they want, and they will be able to speak with at least one English speaker, no matter the country where they go. With these Bilingualism Policies based on non-territorialized individual rights, the Philippines government respects the traditions of the people and, it fosters a development for its country. Maybe these policies will not help to preserver indigenous languages, actually they are quickly disappearing, but it is something necessary for improving their lives and country. Also, we must notice that schools use the native languages of kids as a tool to teach too. In some way they use English and Filipino, but they keep their own languages as a tool. For a teacher it could be something hard to deal with, because students may speak different languages. So, here we find the importance of joining the country with two languages In conclusion, The Philippines has the right language policy according to their multilingual culture, which favors the most of the population, despite the fact that they do not foster indigenous languages, but they respect them.
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Post by mariacayo on Nov 22, 2014 16:15:52 GMT
Also, I think that most of the citizens live in a respectful environment because in the Language Act and Constitution of Finland it is specified that every language should have their own translation. For example: a citizen whose language is Finnish and he/she doesn’t speak Swedish, receives a document written in Swedish. He or She has the right to ask for the same document but in his/her own language. I think this policy is amazing because the government is considering all the languages and not the one that has "the crown". Moreover, if documents are translated in more languages, then this gives the country a good and serious image of how it administrates not only this policy, but also other ones. Yes, in my opinion it's an amazing policy, but I also read some comments of citizens who think that the policy should be changed. Even though it's just a minority, they want Finnish to be the only official language. Well, for me it's fine just like that! it's not necessary to change it  |
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Post by erikamantra on Nov 22, 2014 17:42:10 GMT
  Singapore is a sovereign city-state and island country in Southeast Asia. In the southern of Malaysia. • How many languages are spoken there?In 2009 more than 20 languages were being spoken in Singapore. Some of them are: Mandarin, Malay, Tamil, English, Hokkien, Teochew, Malaylee, Panjabi, bazaar Malay (now rarely used).
• How many of these languages exist in written form?The 4 official languages are in written form. But in the history they were modified simplifying some characters as an example the Chinese language was change in 1976 omitting 10 characters that were used only by Singaporeans. • How many of the total number of languages which are spoken are official languages for the country?Four languages. • What are the official languages of the country?The four official languages of Singapore are Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and English.
• What percentage of the country’s population is competent in at least one of the official languages?The 60% of Singapore population speaks Tamil language. • What are the languages of instruction in the schools of the country?The languages of instruction in the schools are varieties of English because teachers come from different parts of the world; most of them are Europeans, Jews, Indians, Ceylonese and Chinese. • Are ethnic/minor languages included in the usual school curriculum?Yes. Because of there are different ethnics in the country (Chinese, Indian, Malay) when children go to the school they learn, apart from English one of the official languages according to the ethnic that the child’s father belongs to preserve the culture of each ethnic. • Are any languages illegal or discouraged?No, there are not illegal languages in Singapore.
• What is the official language policy of the country?After of the independence of Singapore the government accepted the Malay language as the national language in Singapore in 1959. But problems occurred cause of the different ethnics in the country. Therefore they created the bilingual policy in which the English language was going to be taught in the school with a second language which would be the mother tongue of each child. The mother tongues were Chinese mandarin, Tamil and Malay. 2. How well your assigned country’s language policy serves its people. Do you think it is fair? Why or why not? Do you think it serves all language/ethnic groups in the country? Do you think it will, in the main, help its citizens to live better lives? How will it do (or not do) that?
My opinion:I think that according to Singaporeans people history in the beginning wasn’t fair to recognize Malay language as the unique official language of the country because there are a lot of different ethnics there, a variety of languages and dialects therefore every group deserve the same recognition as part of the country citizens but in their favor it changed with the past of the years. I think it had a good resolution because for one side they all are going to be capable to understand to each other using the English language and by the other hand they will preserve their tongue language. According to the deal children are going to be exposed to a second language in the school and it is going to be the language that their father speaks. When they finish the primary school and enter to the secondary they will have the opportunity to learn the mother tongue language that their mothers speak. When they finish secondary and they enter to the college they will have the option to learn another language. Teachers have the obligation to provide this knowledge to the students in each step of their lives. By the way to have the opportunity to learn different languages provide to a person from Singapore to be very educated and to have a lot of benefits. First, they can communicate with their peers that live in the same place but talk different languages. Second, they will have access to books written in their respective ethnic language. And third, they will be part of the preserving culture that every country desires which is not to lose their roots. I think that in the case of Singapore all the ethnics serves because from the beginning they were a mixed country but that doesn’t mean a bad thing, in the contrary is a good thing because they have the opportunity to share with people with different style of life, values, traditions and thoughts according to every group. They live in the same place, therefore they don’t have to travel around the world to known different cultures. They can live in peace and better if there are fair laws in the government that shows respect for all the groups of people in Singapore. I mean by showing respect that every ethnic takes part of the resolutions and new rules in the country.   |
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Post by danielavalderrama on Nov 22, 2014 18:28:03 GMT
Where in the world is it? Find a good mapChina is located in the Eastern part of Asia bordered by the Pacific Ocean. How many languages are spoken there?There are about 292 alive languages spoken in China. • How many of these languages exist in written form?The languages existed in written form are the Chinese and Cantonese. Most of the variaties of Chinese Languages are created in based on the standard language (Mandarin). Also, most of the spoken languages does not have a written form. • How many of the total number of languages which are spoken are official languages for the country?The total official languages are 13. In which you can find: Chinese (Mandarin), Wu, Shanghainese, Gan, Xiang, Min, Hokkien, Taiwanese, Teochew, Hakka, Yue, Cantonese and Taishanese. • What are the official languages of the country?The official languages of the country is Chinese (Mandarin) • What percentage of the country’s population is competent in at least one of the official languages?According to China’s Education Ministry, 70% of the population speaks the official language. The 30% left is divided into the other languages. • What are the languages of instruction in the schools of the country?The language that is used in schools is the Putonghua (Standard Chinese -> Mandarin). Students are immerse in the language since elementary school. There is a law called Law of the People's Republic of China on the Standard Spoken and Written Chine Language (Order of the President No. 37) that support an equal standard Chinese learning. • Are ethnic/minor languages included in the usual school curriculum?The ethnic languages are not included as part of the curriculum. Even though, there is a policy that support Ethnic Minority students (EMs) in the country of Hong kong. Those Non-Chinese Speakers (NCS) can be part of a project called “Chinese Language Curriculum Second Language Learning Framework” that support the learning of the standard language (Mandarin) among Ethnic Minority students to facilitate their communication within the society. • Are any languages illegal or discouraged?There are not illegal or discouraged languages in China. • What is the official language policy of the country?The official language policy of the country states Mandarin Chinese as the standard Language of China. This policy expresses that Mandarin Chinese should be teach in each school of the whole country. One of the arguments that approves law is that every citizen and student should have the right to learn the standard language of their country in order to facilitate communication among the people. Also, through this policy the government looks for the unification of the whole country to create a strong an economic and cultural exchange among Chinese regions. Part 2.According to the language policy, every citizen should be able to communicate in the standard language (Chinese-Mandarin). This statement was created to facilitate the communication among the regions of this country. In spite of that positive idea, the ethnic groups are inserted in a program within their educational process to be immerse in the standard language. This situations forced students to let behind their own ethnic language.
This policy looks for the integration of the majority population to make the communication easier around China and the world in general. But if we think about the minority ethnic groups, is it fair?. The ethnic language reflects the own culture, traditions and the roots of those people. Also, it is an important part of their identity.
Perhaps the language policy should not be so tough for minority ethnic groups who speaks ethnic languages. They should think about the diversity of their country and try to incorporate that language into the curriculum, at least the most spoken ones. This initiative could help to prevent waste of identity of some particular population and maintain the culture of those people alive through the time passes.
Even so, I think nowadays it is necessary for Chinese people to have and use a standard language. First, as I said before, it helps to have a fluent communication among different people from different location. Second, China had increased enormously its economic situation and its international relationships. So, to get a standard language could open doors for those who wants to take risks sand makes new projects in different parts of the world. And in the other hand, to have an official language benefits foreign people who wants to travel, study or live in China. This means, if people wants to move on China they will know what language is spoken and what they have to learn to have a fluent communication. Also, through the time, it becomes a necessity to learn this language because of its international treaties.
To sum up, I think it is important for the economic and cultural increased of the country to have an official language, but also it is an important point to be aware of the extinction of the ethnic language which represents the culture, traditions and identity of their ancestors.
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Post by gabrielapavez on Nov 22, 2014 19:04:07 GMT
Country: BRAZIL PART I 1. Where is Brazil?
 2. How many languages are spoken there?In Brazil 215 languages are spoken. From the 215 languages, 99 are considered endangered. 3. How many of these languages exist in written form?The official one Portuguese along with 7 others. 4. How many of the total number of languages which are spoken are official languages for the country?In Brazil, Portuguese is the only one considered official. 5. What are the official languages of the country?Brazilian Sign Language and Portuguese 6. What percentage of the country’s population is competent in at least one of the official languages?
98% of the population is competent in Portuguese, but this not exclude that many Brazilian citizens can speak another language. 7. What are the languages of instruction in the schools of the country?Portuguese, Guajajára,Guaraní (mbya), Hixkaryana, Jamamadi, Nambikuara (southern), Xawánte. The languages that are not Portuguese, are necessary for instruction at schools located in villages or towns. 8. Are ethnic/minor languages included in the usual school curriculum?
Yes, those listed before. An exception is Guaraní, which is necessary for students living near Paraguay. 9. Are any languages illegal or discouraged?No, Brazil has a language policy which encourages Portuguese, but does not say that others are illegal. 10. What is the official language policy of the country?
The official language policy of Brazil is related to be a monolingual country, in which Portuguese is considered the official language. Also, Brazilian Sign Language is considered official, only for those citizens who have physical disabilities to communicate. For the rest of the languages, they have been considered part of its national culture, but does not mean that they are protecting them with their laws. PART II In America, Brazil is considered a special country because is the only one that speaks Portuguese in this continent. Even though everybody recognizes its language, a minority knows that in just that country you can find 215 languages. Is this because of the current Brazilian language policy? Actually IT IS. Brazil nowadays have a language policy which state in its constitution that Portuguese is the only official language. If we start searching, we will find that many minorities’ languages have been disadvantaged as a result of Brazilian language policy. Brazil, as a country, concentrates at least two hundred million people. According to Ethnologue, 98% of the population is competent in Portuguese. This percentage shows us that Brazilian citizens receive class instructions in Portuguese. For those villages, in which their language are different from Portuguese, the official language is taught as a second language. In my opinion, I consider that this policy is not right. We have been taught that language is part of a culture. If a country begins to lose indigenous languages, means also that it is losing its own culture. So, what are politicians waiting for? It is necessary to change language policy, in order to preserve indigenous languages. Moreover, this language policy is affecting indigenous villages. So, is this language policy fair? Absolutely NOT! Every human being has the right to freely express his/herself. This language policy discourages villagers. There is no law nowadays which protect these languages. As a result, there may be some citizens who are not encouraged to speak their own language, but they are taught Portuguese in order to make that “second language” the “official language”. In the other hand, in the limits of Brazil, there are people who speak Spanish and Guaraní. Guaraní is considered as a language in Brazil, but it is originally from Paraguay. The same thing happen with Spanish language. People living near the limits with Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay speak Spanish in order fulfill their necessity of commercial trades with these countries. Finally, in my opinion Brazil need a law or a language policy that protects indigenous languages and keep indigenous culture as an important part of Brazil’s identity. |
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Post by danielavalderrama on Nov 22, 2014 19:04:21 GMT
Also, I think that most of the citizens live in a respectful environment because in the Language Act and Constitution of Finland it is specified that every language should have their own translation. For example: a citizen whose language is Finnish and he/she doesn’t speak Swedish, receives a document written in Swedish. He or She has the right to ask for the same document but in his/her own language. I believe that is an interesting idea. The fact that you can use your native language naturally inside a place where people speaks another language, makes a society rich in terms of respect about cultural diversity . |
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Post by gabrielapavez on Nov 22, 2014 19:15:23 GMT
Yes, in my opinion it's an amazing policy, but I also read some comments of citizens who think that the policy should be changed. Even though it's just a minority, they want Finnish to be the only official language. Well, for me it's fine just like that! it's not necessary to change it I think that this country is very interesting. They have a language policy that keep "safe" other languages. So, is true that citizens want Finnish to be the official language? In Brazil's case, they do not have a language policy that encourages indigenous languages, but they are not asking for a policy to protect them. Here we can see two different points of view. Interesting!  |
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