The Characteristics of Language Policy and Planning Research: An Overview

Abstract

This chapter has been compiled to provide an overview of the language policing and planning (LPP) ield, particularly for new researchers who would like to pursue their MA or PhD. It aims to explore the following: the genesis of LPP from the 1950s to date, type of research questions pertinent to the ield, methodology that can be applied, substantial literature review and case studies that have been carried out in LPP, ethnography of language policy and planning, the historical analysis approach and authorities in the ield of LPP such as Hornberger, Johnson and Ricento.Keywords: language policing and planning (LPP), ethnography, research instruments, historical analysis approach IntroductionLanguage policing and planning (LPP) is one of the fastest growing subdisciplines of applied linguistics [1]. The LPP ield was formed in the early 1960s by language scholars interested in solving the language problems of new, developing and/or post-colonial nations.As claimed by many to be the pioneer in the ield of LPP, it was Haugen who introduced the term language planning in 1959. Haugen deined language planning as "the activity of preparing normative orthography, grammar and dictionary for the guidance of writers and speakers in a non-homogenous speech community" [2]. What Haugen described was later categorized as status planning [3], corpus planning [3] and acquisition planning [4].

Structural linguistic injustice

“…For my argument to remedy abrupt language loss as a form of structural linguistic injustice, I concentrate on status planning because of its focus on remedying the status of a language. Status planning is argued to include three domains: (1) the active use of a language in educational systems, either as a medium of instruction or as a course, (2) public and private support for implicit language policies in families that use the language, and (3) official recognition of the status of language by state institutions (Goundar 2017, 85). In all three domains, status planning results in modifying the standing of a language, which might be worse or better in comparison to the status of other languages.…”

Human Rights and Minority Languages: Immigrants’ Perspectives in Greece

“…"Such a field would be better described as language policy and planning" (Fettes, 1997, p. 14). Since then LPP has constituted "one of the fastest growing subdisciplines of applied linguistics" (Hult & Johnson, 2015, in Goundar, 2017.…”

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“…Spolsky (2004), for instance, suggested four factors that shape LEP: the sociolinguistic situation, the national ideology, the existence of English as the world language, and the language rights. Recently, the framework for LEP studies expanded its scope beyond linguistic phenomena (Wiley & Garcia, 2016) to include sociolinguistic factors (Goundar, 2017). Further expanding the scope of synthesis and incorporating general policy studies, Choi (2018) presented a framework that is relatively comprehensive.…”