Agnes S.L. Lam
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9789622097506
- eISBN:
- 9789888180271
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789622097506.001.0001
- Subject:
- Education, Educational Policy and Politics
This book is unprecedented as a comprehensive study of the multilingual circumstances in China. It tracks policy changes in the learning of Chinese, foreign languages and minority ethnic languages in ...
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This book is unprecedented as a comprehensive study of the multilingual circumstances in China. It tracks policy changes in the learning of Chinese, foreign languages and minority ethnic languages in China since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. On the basis of survey and interview data, the experiences of different age cohorts of learners are presented as ‘windows’ to the realities of language education policy implementation over the last half century. The effects of political changes, language backgrounds and various motivations for learning, at both the national and individual levels, are vividly presented in this composite story of China and learners in China.Less
This book is unprecedented as a comprehensive study of the multilingual circumstances in China. It tracks policy changes in the learning of Chinese, foreign languages and minority ethnic languages in China since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. On the basis of survey and interview data, the experiences of different age cohorts of learners are presented as ‘windows’ to the realities of language education policy implementation over the last half century. The effects of political changes, language backgrounds and various motivations for learning, at both the national and individual levels, are vividly presented in this composite story of China and learners in China.
Agnes S. L. Lam
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9789622097506
- eISBN:
- 9789888180271
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789622097506.003.0005
- Subject:
- Education, Educational Policy and Politics
In this chapter, the major findings on learner experience in the last half century in China have been summarized and the implications for the study of multilingualism have been discussed. Some ...
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In this chapter, the major findings on learner experience in the last half century in China have been summarized and the implications for the study of multilingualism have been discussed. Some current trends in language education in China in the teaching of Chinese, the promotion of English and the development of minority education have been highlighted and a few areas for further research have been pointed out. It remains for me to hope that a multilingual orientation in studying language education in China can continue to be adopted, not only because that is a more fruitful approach to understand the circumstances in China but also because a multilingual outlook to linguistic developments around the world is more culturally enriching. In modern human history, the language that spreads to other nations is often the language that has economic and political power. When the English-speaking world loses its pre-eminence by those yardsticks, other European languages and Asian languages may return to their former positions in the world. Hopefully, no single language will predominate over the globe ever again and the world will be truly multilingual.Less
In this chapter, the major findings on learner experience in the last half century in China have been summarized and the implications for the study of multilingualism have been discussed. Some current trends in language education in China in the teaching of Chinese, the promotion of English and the development of minority education have been highlighted and a few areas for further research have been pointed out. It remains for me to hope that a multilingual orientation in studying language education in China can continue to be adopted, not only because that is a more fruitful approach to understand the circumstances in China but also because a multilingual outlook to linguistic developments around the world is more culturally enriching. In modern human history, the language that spreads to other nations is often the language that has economic and political power. When the English-speaking world loses its pre-eminence by those yardsticks, other European languages and Asian languages may return to their former positions in the world. Hopefully, no single language will predominate over the globe ever again and the world will be truly multilingual.
Angel M. Y. Lin and Evelyn Y. F. Man
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9789622099586
- eISBN:
- 9789888180233
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789622099586.003.0004
- Subject:
- Education, Secondary Education
In this chapter, a historical account of the development of the language-in-education (LIE) policy in Hong Kong is provided. The socio-political context is also described in an attempt to situate ...
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In this chapter, a historical account of the development of the language-in-education (LIE) policy in Hong Kong is provided. The socio-political context is also described in an attempt to situate this policy in the historical context. Major policy developments including the MIGA exercise introduced in 1994, the mandatory linguistic streaming policy introduced in 1998, and recent policy revisions, are also discussed. We make the observation that Hong Kong's postcolonial LIE policy has been plagued with charges of elitism and social stratifying effects. Ironically, the situation seems to be worse than it was during colonial times. In conclusion, we discuss how Hong Kong's postcolonial mother-tongue education policy seems to be more a result of narrowly focused technical rationality than of postcolonial nationalism, and how this decontextualized rationality has run into trouble by failing to pay attention to the larger socio-economic and socio-political effects of the policies. Discussion is also given to the recent policy of implementing Putonghua as MOI for Chinese Language and Literature which, although likely to be driven by the agenda to spread China's national language to Hong Kong, is legitimized in the Hong Kong government's discourse by the pedagogical benefits of Putonghua teaching on the writing skills of Modern Standard Chinese.Less
In this chapter, a historical account of the development of the language-in-education (LIE) policy in Hong Kong is provided. The socio-political context is also described in an attempt to situate this policy in the historical context. Major policy developments including the MIGA exercise introduced in 1994, the mandatory linguistic streaming policy introduced in 1998, and recent policy revisions, are also discussed. We make the observation that Hong Kong's postcolonial LIE policy has been plagued with charges of elitism and social stratifying effects. Ironically, the situation seems to be worse than it was during colonial times. In conclusion, we discuss how Hong Kong's postcolonial mother-tongue education policy seems to be more a result of narrowly focused technical rationality than of postcolonial nationalism, and how this decontextualized rationality has run into trouble by failing to pay attention to the larger socio-economic and socio-political effects of the policies. Discussion is also given to the recent policy of implementing Putonghua as MOI for Chinese Language and Literature which, although likely to be driven by the agenda to spread China's national language to Hong Kong, is legitimized in the Hong Kong government's discourse by the pedagogical benefits of Putonghua teaching on the writing skills of Modern Standard Chinese.
Luis G. Martínez del Campo
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781781382752
- eISBN:
- 9781786945266
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5949/liverpool/9781781382752.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Social History
In this book, I explore the history of the British-Spanish Society, which played a key role in the cultural relations between Spain and the UK during the 20th Century. I argue that this association ...
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In this book, I explore the history of the British-Spanish Society, which played a key role in the cultural relations between Spain and the UK during the 20th Century. I argue that this association is an early example of those cultural institutions involved in foreign policy. Although its aims were usually political and economic, its strategies were based on the advocacy of cultural understanding between Britons and Spaniards. In fact, the British-Spanish Society’ biggest achievement was its important contribution to the development of the Spanish language education in the UK in the 20th Century. In the beginning, the association was basically a British soft power tool, but it also served the Spanish diplomatic strategy after the World War II. This book offers the first overview of its history, paying special attention to both its role in British-Spanish relations, and its contribution to Spanish language education in the UK.Less
In this book, I explore the history of the British-Spanish Society, which played a key role in the cultural relations between Spain and the UK during the 20th Century. I argue that this association is an early example of those cultural institutions involved in foreign policy. Although its aims were usually political and economic, its strategies were based on the advocacy of cultural understanding between Britons and Spaniards. In fact, the British-Spanish Society’ biggest achievement was its important contribution to the development of the Spanish language education in the UK in the 20th Century. In the beginning, the association was basically a British soft power tool, but it also served the Spanish diplomatic strategy after the World War II. This book offers the first overview of its history, paying special attention to both its role in British-Spanish relations, and its contribution to Spanish language education in the UK.
Amílcar Antonio Barreto
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781683401131
- eISBN:
- 9781683401414
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9781683401131.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
Spanish was entrenched as the language of public-school instruction with the advent of elected governors in the middle of the previous century. Since then heated exchanges over the language-education ...
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Spanish was entrenched as the language of public-school instruction with the advent of elected governors in the middle of the previous century. Since then heated exchanges over the language-education nexus subsided significantly. English is still associated with upward socio-economic mobility and facilitated migration to the US mainland. This chapter also explores the linguistic panorama and linguistic enclaves on the island. The largest pockets of English speakers are in the San Juan metropolitan area and areas adjacent to military installations. Data also reveal that since Puerto Rico’s economic downturn in the first decade of this century the percentage of English speakers on the island has dropped significantly. The drop coincides with a mass migration off the island. Consequently, English is no longer associated exclusively with Americans. It is increasingly becoming a critical medium for communication with stateside Puerto Ricans.Less
Spanish was entrenched as the language of public-school instruction with the advent of elected governors in the middle of the previous century. Since then heated exchanges over the language-education nexus subsided significantly. English is still associated with upward socio-economic mobility and facilitated migration to the US mainland. This chapter also explores the linguistic panorama and linguistic enclaves on the island. The largest pockets of English speakers are in the San Juan metropolitan area and areas adjacent to military installations. Data also reveal that since Puerto Rico’s economic downturn in the first decade of this century the percentage of English speakers on the island has dropped significantly. The drop coincides with a mass migration off the island. Consequently, English is no longer associated exclusively with Americans. It is increasingly becoming a critical medium for communication with stateside Puerto Ricans.
