Language Policy

Abstract In this paper, I argue that the global spread of English-medium instruction (EMI) is not just about language but also about time. Policies promoting English are often tied to speed, competitiveness, and future-oriented goals, creating pressure to “rush” toward English to succeed. This rush is driven by global forces such governments, universities, and markets, and pushes learners away fr…

Abstract While vocational education and training (VET) students in Finland are increasingly multilingual, vocational assessments are often conducted orally in the majority language. This article explores how the de facto language policy was negotiated in two migrant students’ vocational assessment events in Finnish VET. Ethnographic data were collected in two VET institutes from two students, one…

Abstract This study examines how single Mexican American mothers sustain Spanish in their homes while navigating the legacies of Arizona’s English-only regime. Guided by Critical Race Theory and Transnational Feminism, I analyze testimonios from two mothers whose own childhoods under Proposition 203 and Structured English Immersion (SEI) shape how they now raise their children. One, a first-gener…

Abstract The recent rise in immigration highlights the need for effective language policies in multilingual contexts. This research investigates the Additional Language Learning Policy (ALLP) and its interplay with immigrant students’ language performance. Limited research has been conducted on the comprehensive interplay between policy and immigrant student performance. Using Van Hulst and Yanow…

Drawing on theories of agency in LPP (e.g., Bouchard and Glasgow, in: Bouchard, Glasgow (eds) Agency in language policy and planning. Critical inquiries, Routledge, 2019) and educational governance (e.g., Ramiel and Lefstein in Camb J Educ 52(2):217–233, 2022), this study investigates the conditions under which heritage language schools operate outside national support structures. It is based on …

Recent studies highlight the critical role of Language Policy (LP) in shaping language behavior, choice, and identity within speech communities; however, its relationship with language choice, especially in unique sociolinguistic contexts, requires further exploration. Building on the framework of Spolsky’s (2003) LP model and Shohamy’s (in: Sustaining linguistic diversity: endangered and minorit…

Abstract In this article, we examine the language policy that underlies the training of Norwegian teachers in Norwegian primary and lower secondary schools. Based on a critically oriented document analysis of current policy documents, we consider (1) the language competence required to work as a Norwegian teacher, and (2) what can be inferred from the required language competence about the princi…