Language Policy Debate in Ghana: A Means of Elite Closure

Wornyo, Albert Agbesi

doi:10.17265/2159-5526/2015.08.005

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 4 publications

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“…Presently, only ten languages are recognised for use in formal education (Mahama, 2012) as shown in Table 2. Research demonstrates that Western African elites deprive large parts of the population access to quality education through educational language policies of this type (Wornyo, 2015) and there is a growing awareness of the value of native languages in initial schooling by Ghanaians and the non-implementation of the policies, as teachers may not be aware of them (Erling, Adinolfi & Hultgren, 2017).…”

Section: Ghanamentioning

confidence: 99%

Re-examining the Status of the English Language in Anglophone Western Africa: A Comparative Study of Ghana and Nigeria

Tom-Lawyer¹,

Thomas²

2020

ELR

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This paper re-examines the status of English as a Second Language (ESL) in Anglophone Western Africa by comparing its use in Nigeria and Ghana. The research is based on the premise that the medium of instruction impacts the quality of education (Ferguson, 2013). The significance of the research is that it is one of the first studies to compare the standard of English language usage in the two countries to establish whether there is a positive link between the quality of education and the language of instruction (Williams, 2011). Predicated on a critical literature review, some of the issues and perspectives analysed include educational language policies, the attitude of students, the quality of teachers and the prospects of the language in the two countries. Findings indicate that the implementation of educational language policies remains an important challenge in the two countries, as there has been a falling standard of English usage (though Ghana has a higher standard of English language usage) and a dearth of English specialists. In identifying the factors that impact on the quality of education in Nigeria and Ghana, the paper concludes that English has significant potential in both countries, and if relevant strategies for its improvement are adopted, both countries will benefit from the socio-economic gains inherent in its adoption and use.

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Section: Ghanamentioning

confidence: 99%

Re-examining the Status of the English Language in Anglophone Western Africa: A Comparative Study of Ghana and Nigeria

Tom-Lawyer¹,

Thomas²

2020

ELR

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Educational language policy in an African country: Making a place for code-switching/translanguaging

Agbozo

ResCue

2021

Applied Linguistics Review

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In Ghana, plurilingual language use is the norm rather than the exception. It follows that the multilingual linguistic practices of bilingual and multilingual Ghanaians should be reflected in language planning and languages-in-education policies. The study explores the nature of Ghana’s complex sociolinguistic ecology and details the shifts in language-in-education policies from the colonial era to the present. A closer look at the policies presents two opposing models: policies that draw on monolingual ideologies involving the use of English only as a medium of instruction from pre-school to higher levels, and policies that promote a bilingual approach where Ghanaian indigenous languages and English are used concurrently in the lower grade classes (grades 1–3), with a transition to English-only instruction from grade 4 onwards. The paper argues that instabilities in languages-in-education policies occur through the effects of ideology and policy formulation that do not take into account the linguistic ecologies of different communities, or indeed, the linguistic ecology of the Ghanaian classroom. It is proposed that rigid policies can be productively modified by recognizing the reality of code-switching in classrooms and shifting focus to the creative learning possibilities that translanguaging opens up.

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Sound language policies must be consistent with natural language evolution

Mufwene

2023

International Journal of the Sociology of Language

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Societal multilingualism and multilectalism have been among the leading justifications for language policies, especially in the Global South, where many of these have failed. I associate the failures with poor choices of official languages and media of education, which are not consistent with the linguistic behaviors of the majority of the citizenry and the socioeconomic structures of the relevant polities. I review some cases of adequate and inadequate policies around the world and explain ecologically some reasons for either their successes or their failures. In a subset of the cases, I assess the results as mixed. My recommendation is of course not to follow the policy of a particular polity simply because it has succeeded there but to also check whether the ecology of its success is similar to that of the new polity. The relevant ecology includes the socioeconomic structure/system and the linguistic practices of the citizenry for whom the policy is intended. Among the issues to address is, for instance, whether the language adopted as the official language and medium of education is easy for the majority of the citizenry to learn successfully. Another is whether the language policy will make the economic development of the nation more inclusive and empower the majority economically and politically.

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Language Policy Debate in Ghana: A Means of Elite Closure

Cited by 3 publications

References 4 publications

Re-examining the Status of the English Language in Anglophone Western Africa: A Comparative Study of Ghana and Nigeria

Re-examining the Status of the English Language in Anglophone Western Africa: A Comparative Study of Ghana and Nigeria

Educational language policy in an African country: Making a place for code-switching/translanguaging

Sound language policies must be consistent with natural language evolution

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