State Traditions and Language Regimes: A Historical Institutionalism Approach to Language Policy

Abstract

This paper is an elaboration of a theoretical framework we developed in the introductory chapter of our co-edited volume, State Traditions and Language Regimes (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2015) . Using a historical institutionalism approach derived from political science, we argue that language policies need to be understood in terms of their historical and institutional context . The concept of 'state tradition' focuses our attention on the relative autonomy of the state in terms of its normative and institutional traditions that lead to particular path dependencies of language policy choices, subject to change at critical junctures . 'Language regime' is the conceptual link between state traditions and language policy choices: it allows us to analytically conceptualize how and why these choices are made and how and why they change . We suggest that our framework offers a more robust analysis of language politics than other approaches found in sociolinguistics and normative theory . It also challenges political science to become more engaged with scholarly debate on language policy and linguistic diversity .

The genre regime of research evaluation: contradictory systems of value around academics’ writing

“…The idea of genre regimes is informed by the notion of 'regimes of language' as developed, for instance, by the contributors to as a way to approach the connections between language, ideologies, politics, and identity. Sonntag and Cardinal (2015) take up this notion of language regimes, defining them as the rules, representations, and practices which surround language use in a particular setting. Language regimes incorporate rules about what language can be used where and when, both in terms of representations of language use and in terms of actual practices (Liu 2015).…”

“…Language choices are always inherently political, relating to power, the distribution of resources, and competition over these resources, as Sonntag and Cardinal (2015) recognise. And of course, as argues, language ideologies -perceptions about how language is and should be used -privilege some cultural and social interests over others.…”

“…'State traditions' are identified by Sonntag and Cardinal (2015) as playing an important role in shaping language regimes. Similarly, we can talk about disciplinary 'knowledge traditions' which have shaped the regimes governing academics' research and writing choices.…”

Studying Your Own Country: Social Scientific Knowledge for Our Times and Places

“…And this work is not less worldly because it concerns our lives and that of our fellow citizens. (Rocher, 2007;Sonntag et Cardinal, 2015).…”

Re-conceptualizing mother tongue tuition of Estonian abroad as a transnational phenomenon

“…The main objective of this article is to demonstrate that MTT is a transnational phenomenon shaped at the intersection of two different language regimes and state traditions, in terms of their teaching philosophies, national curricula etc. In my analysis of these traditions I am inspired by historical institutionalism (Sonntag, Cardinal 2015), which analyses how institutions are shaped by policies that are informed by historical events. The aim of the present paper is also to consider the dynamism of the language regimes (Pietikäinen, Pitkänen-Huhta 2014) and the agentive role of individuals, groups and institutions in language practices and ideologies as the starting point for the examination of the phenomenon of MTT of EU languages in the EU.…”