Using lexical variables to identify language ideologies in a policy corpus

Corpora ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Fitzsimmons-Doolan
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Policy ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Language Ideologies ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Department Of Education ◽  
Educational Language Policy ◽  
Group Variation ◽  
Policy Texts

Though theorised as important objects of inquiry, language ideologies – beliefs about the roles of language in society – are difficult to identify from texts because of their covert nature. Language ideologies of institutions are thought to have particular power with respect to subsequent policy development at micro- and macro levels. This study applies an inductive, corpus-based approach to identify language ideologies in a corpus of language policy texts using lexical items as variables. A corpus of more than one-million words of educational language policy texts from the 2010 Arizona Department of Education website was explored using collocate and factor analysis. The resulting solution accounted for 47.48 percent of the variance investigated. Five language ideology factors were identified and interpreted using quantitative and qualitative techniques: ‘written language as measurably communicative’, ‘language acquisition as systematically metalinguistic and monolingual’, ‘academic language as standard and informational’, ‘language acquisition as a process of decoding meaning’ and ‘nativeness of language skills as marking group variation’. The findings (a) present likely ideological stances of the Department of Education in a state where educational language policy development has been robust in recent years, and (b) validate the somewhat novel methodological approach used in this study.

Socialisation écrite et rédaction épistolaire de scripteurs moins expérimentés – lettres des soldats de la Grande Guerre

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-129
Author(s):  
Sybille Große ◽  
Lena Sowada
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Social Process ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Everyday Language ◽  
Private Correspondence ◽  
Written Language Acquisition

AbstractJust recently, documents written by less skilled writers constitute an object of investigation in linguistics of different philologies. This contribution valorizes private letters as testimonies from writers of varying social status, as opposed to the elite, and furthermore describes the process and the context of their production. In this perspective, it is important to distinguish the process of acquisition of the written language and the complex cognitive and social process of writing. Dealing with private correspondence of writers with less experience, we focus on circumstances of the writing production in a familial and individual context. We investigate different influences on these texts: the writers’ specific writing socialization, an interrupted process of written language acquisition, specificities of colloquial everyday language as well as a lack of epistolary and writing experience. In order to realize the different writing tasks and to evoke intimacy, less-skilled writers acquire an inventory of creative tricks by following oral representations, by imitating strategies from the immediate communication and by using different linguistic and discursive routines.

Language and identity in East Timor

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry Taylor-Leech
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
East Timor ◽  
Language And Identity ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Student Focus ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Official Languages

Language choice in the newly independent Republic of East Timor can be usefully examined in the wider context of language policy in multilingual states. The present article reports on ethnographic research investigating official and popular discourses of language and identity in East Timor and the role of past and present language policies and practices in shaping national and social identity. It focuses on the discursive reconstruction of identity through five official instruments of language policy development. Hostile discourses in the Australian and Indonesian press towards the choice of Portuguese (the former colonial language) and Tetum (the endogenous lingua franca) as official languages provided the context for the investigation. A persistent theme in these discourses is that English and/or Indonesian would be preferable choices. The article puts these discourses into perspective by presenting findings from two data sets: (i) the 2004 National Census and (ii) analysis of the discourses of 78 participants in semi-structured interviews and student focus groups. The census shows clear signs of the revival of Portuguese and the reinvigoration of Tetum. It also shows how diverse linguistic identities have become in East Timor. The research findings show that there is less hostility to official language policy than claimed in the Australian and Indonesian press. However, the findings also emphasise the urgent need to reconstruct an inclusive, plurilingual national identity that can encompass diversity.

The past is prologue

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 366-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Cassels Johnson ◽  
Crissa Stephens ◽  
Stephanie Gugliemo Lynch
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
Language Ideologies ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
New Latino Diaspora ◽  
Policy Initiatives ◽  
The Past ◽  
Historical Processes ◽  
The U.S

Abstract This article examines reactions to the changing linguistic ecology in the U.S. state of Iowa, which is experiencing a demographic phenomenon often referred to as the New Latino Diaspora (NLD) (Hamann et al., 2002). We first examine the historical processes and social structures that link current language policy initiatives within Iowa to local and national nativism. We then analyze public policies and texts to reveal how language ideologies circulate across diverse texts and contexts, forming discourses that shape the experiences of Latin@s in Iowa.

scholarly journals A semiotic approach to language ideologies: Modelling the changing Icelandic languagescape

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2-4) ◽  
pp. 271-296
Author(s):  
Stephen Pax Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
Language Ideologies ◽  
Speech Community ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Semiotic Model ◽  
Semiotic Approach ◽  
Ethnographic Data ◽  
Linguistic Purism

Attempts have been made to examine how speakers frame linguistic varieties by employing social semiotic models. Using ethnographic data collected over many years, this article applies such a model to Iceland, once described as the ‘e-coli of linguistics’ – its size, historical isolation and relative linguistic homogeneity create conditions akin to a sociolinguistic laboratory. This semiotic model of language ideologies problematizes the prevailing discourse of linguistic purism at a time of sociolinguistic upheaval. The analysis shows how an essentializing scheme at the heart of Icelandic language policy ensured that linguistic “anomalies” such as “dative disease” and “genitive phobia” indexed essential differences. “Impure” language was indicative of un-Icelandicness. Once monolingual (indeed monodialectal), the Icelandic speech community is increasingly characterized by innovative linguistic transgressions which thus far have not been instrumentalized by language policy makers. It is shown how a semiotic model can help us analyse the function of language ideologies more generally.

scholarly journals Women’s entrepreneurship policy: a 13 nation cross-country comparison

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 206-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colette Henry ◽  
Barbara Orser ◽  
Susan Coleman ◽  
Lene Foss
Keyword(s):  
Policy Development ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Entrepreneurship Policy ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Policy Practice ◽  
Women’S Entrepreneurship ◽  
The Status ◽  
Women's Entrepreneurship

Purpose Government attention to women’s entrepreneurship has increased in the past two decades; however, there are few cross-cultural studies to inform policy development. This paper aims to draw on gender and institutional theory to report on the status of female-focused small and medium-sized enterprises/entrepreneurship policies and to ask how – and to what extent – do women’s entrepreneurship policies differ among countries? Design/methodology/approach A common methodological approach is used to identify gaps in the policy-practice nexus. Findings The study highlights countries where policy is weak but practice is strong, and vice versa. Research limitations/implications The study’s data were restricted to policy documents and observations of practices and initiatives on the ground. Practical implications The findings have implications for policy makers in respect of support for women’s entrepreneurship. Recommendations for future research are advanced. Originality/value The paper contributes to extant knowledge and understanding about entrepreneurship policy, specifically in relation to women’s entrepreneurship. It is also one of the few studies to use a common methodological approach to explore and compare women’s entrepreneurship policies in 13 countries.

scholarly journals The company that words keep: comparing the statistical structure of child- versus adult-directed language

2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 586-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
THOMAS HILLS
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Statistical Structure ◽  
Function Words ◽  
Contextual Diversity ◽  
Associative Structure ◽  
Word Acquisition ◽  
Word Classes ◽  
Language Statistics ◽  
And Function

ABSTRACTDoes child-directed language differ from adult-directed language in ways that might facilitate word learning? Associative structure (the probability that a word appears with its free associates), contextual diversity, word repetitions and frequency were compared longitudinally across six language corpora, with four corpora of language directed at children aged 1 ; 0 to 5 ; 0, and two adult-directed corpora representing spoken and written language. Statistics were adjusted relative to shuffled corpora. Child-directed language was found to be more associative, repetitive and consistent than adult-directed language. Moreover, these statistical properties of child-directed language better predicted word acquisition than the same statistics in adult-directed language. Word frequency and repetitions were the best predictors within word classes (nouns, verbs, adjectives and function words). For all word classes combined, associative structure, contextual diversity and word repetitions best predicted language acquisition. These results support the hypothesis that child-directed language is structured in ways that facilitate language acquisition.

Language Policy and Ideology

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Language Policy ◽  
Language Ideologies ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Nation State ◽  
Special Administrative Region ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
Economic Considerations ◽  
Modern Nation State

This chapter discusses language policies in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR since 1997) and Taiwan. The term “Greater China” refers to these three territories. Contemporary language policies in the region are driven by the need for, and play a vital role in, building a unified modern nation-state. The discussion notes that language policy is informed and shaped by language ideologies and attitudes, as well as by sociohistorical, geopolitical, and economic considerations. All three territories have witnessed drastic socioeconomic and political change since the last two decades of the twentieth century. Such transformations have undoubtedly left their impact on their languages and language policies.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document