The ideological role of English, beyond its instrumental value, is reported to be immense. British colonial rule deployed English as an ideological tool which facilitated colonial subjugation and religious conversion. Connections between English and evangelism have widened in the postcolonial and globalising world, leading to labelling English as…

The following interview was conducted with Catherine Elder in spring of 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic. Cathie has had a varied career in language testing, including work at universities in Australia and New Zealand and at the Language Testing Resource Center in Melbourne. In this interview, Cathie shares some highlights of her somewhat…

Choosing which additional language to include in national curricula and when to begin teaching it are important educational policy decisions. The current study aims to provide a contextually embedded picture of such policymaking process in the Iranian context. More specifically, the study is intended to explain the agency mechanism of different…

This study discusses agency in language policy and planning (LPP) development from the perspective of Brazilian national language policies reflected in the local LPP programme/initiative of a public university in the Southeast region of the country. With that goal, national and local (institutional) documents are analysed and contrasted with the…

This article reports on a qualitative study that investigated English learners' attitudes toward English as an International Language (EIL). Four major findings were identified in the current study. First, majority of the participants thought that English belongs to all its users, regardless of being its native speakers or not. Second, lack of…

An Italian conference on the role of language instruction in Italian schools is summarized. Special attention is given to the potential for linking language teaching to secondary education reform efforts. (MSE)

As concerns about educational planning mount, the perspectives of the foreign language teaching profession will come face to face with national policy agendas, and there may be conflict. The profession must be aware of perspectives other than its own at the same time that it sets and maintains its own goals. Public debate has arisen about the…

Teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) is a political act, and those who are engaged in teaching English to non- or limited-English speakers are directly or indirectly implementing a language policy that promotes a form of language change in students. This means that TESOL teachers are faced with certain moral dilemmas whose…

Contains citations of 29 books, reports, articles, and essays on the role of English as a Second Language in Europe and its component countries. Although most are in English, others are in French, German, and Italian. The items cited span the period 1940-96, but most are from the 1990s. (MSE)

In response to two earlier articles on the role of English language teaching (ELT) and English-medium instruction in India, the authors draw on their experiences in South Africa to outline a role for ELT teachers in maintaining and promoting multilingualism. This role includes participation in policy debates, professional activism, and the…

This special member of the Journal Teangeolas is devoted to the theme of languages and language policy in Ireland. It contains the following articles: "English as a Foreign Language - Preparing for 1992" (Tom Doyle); "A Language Policy for Irish Schools" (Helen O Murchu); "Don't Disturb the Ancestors" (R. L. Davis);…

The paper examines California's Proposition 227, a voter-imposed statutory amendment that substantially altered the method by which non-English-speaking children learn English in California's public schools, looking at the forces behind the legislation and the challenges to its implementation. The context for bilingual education in California is…

Focuses on the need for linguistic tolerance to deal with the demographic challenges of the future in America. The article emphasizes that the best way for the City University of New York to face these changes is to formulate policies recognizing the evolving linguistics of a culturally diverse society while simultaneously reenforcing the need for…

A set of procedures for evaluating language planning and policy is proposed. The method, developed to assess language policy implementation in Morocco since independence in 1956, is suggested as a diagnostic device to assist specialists in evaluating previously implemented plans and those in progress. It isolates the linguistic and extralinguistic…

A discussion of public language policy formation focuses on the situation in the Netherlands and Europe. First, a number of considerations in the formation of second language instruction policy are reviewed, including determination of content, conditions of instruction, and languages to be taught. The Dutch national program for foreign language…